A Princess of Many Talents
by ShandyCandy278
Summary: Marinette's life could've been better, but it wasn't the worst. Now, however, it's been flipped upside down by a secret admirer, a new student, and a voice in her head. Wasn't this only supposed to happen in the movies? No Ladybug AU- Sister Story to my Fanfic 'A Cat of Many Things', I suggest you check it out!
1. Chapter 1

Shandy: Hey guys!

Candy: This is the sister story to our other fanfic- A Cat of Many Things!

Shandy: Literally a sister story since it's in Mairnette's POV. Oh well.

Candy: We suggest you read it and check it out.

Shandy: And We hope you enjoy!

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" _Here!" The little boy who looked like a cat held out a bell to her, a wide, innocent and carefree, smile on his face. "As a sign of our friendship!"_

" _It's beautiful!" Marinette said honestly, taking the bell as he placed it around her neck. "Here, kitty, you can have this!" She handed the bracelet that she had made earlier that day to the little boy, who stared at it curiously and happily._

" _Thank you!"_

 _Beep… Beep… Beep… Beep…_

" _Mari?" Suddenly they were much older, the cat-boy's features covered in darkness, still holding her bracelet._

" _Kitty?" She replied._

" _Where are you?" He asked, almost as though he couldn't see her. "You- You said that you'd come back to talk!"_

" _Kitty!"_

" _Mari! Don't forget!"_

" _I won't! I swear, I never have!"_

" _Marinette!"_

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_

" _Marinette! Marinette, wake up!"_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Marinette, you're going to be late for school!"_

Marinette gave a yelp and sat up in her bed, looking around wildly.

"Maman!" She cried, looking at the time. "Oh, crap!"

"Oh crap's right." her mother said, moving so that Marinette could hop down and start getting ready. "Being late for the first day of school-"

"Not that, Maman!" Marinette threw off her pajamas and launched into some clothes, hastily pulling her hair into two pigtails, and placing the bell that she had received all those years ago around her neck. "I just hope that Rose remembered what I asked her to do incase this happened- I was supposed to tour the new kid around school today! Some class president I am!" She threw her school things into her backpack, running downstairs. Her mother rolled her eyes and huffed, placing her hand on her hips as she walked back downstairs.

"GoodmorningPapa!" Marinette said hurriedly, grabbing a croissant from the tray he was holding and throwing it in her mouth, grabbing a second one as well before she ran out of the shop.

"When will that girl ever be on time?" He asked, mostly to himself.

As Marinette ran to school, hoping to make it on time, she couldn't help but reflect on the dream that she had had.

The continuous dream that she had been having for several months now.

She had always felt guilty for not remembering which alley it was, for not being able to meet up with him again. She didn't even know if he was a cat boy or not, but she hoped that one day, he would see the bell on her neck and know that he was still treasured.

She burst into the classroom huffing, noticing the new student turning around to look at her in utter shock.

"Ohmysgosh- I'm so sorry I'm late!" She exclaimed, catching her breath.

"Girl, you're not late." Alya, her best friend for several years, comforted, placing a hand on her shoulder. Marinette shot her a small glare.

"Yes I am." She protested, turning to look at the new student. Mr. Damocles had said that his name was Adrien, right?

She had to admit, he looked good. His golden blonde hair was styled in a swoopy-fashion, and his emerald green eyes looked surprisingly innocent for one their age. He was a good head or so taller than her, and a smile that one usually saw on a kid on Christmas day began to spread over his face. She held her hand out to him.

"Hello! Sorry I couldn't be here this morning. I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the president of our class." She introduced. He grabbed her hand a bit awkwardly (didn't Mr. Damocles also say that he had been homeschooled most of his life?) to shake.

"H-Hi! Marinette!" He stuttered a bit. Marinette could totally understand, this class could be intimidating at times. She gave herself the challenge to make him as comfortable as possible. "I'm Adrien Agreste!"

"I hope we can become good friends, and that you're comfortable with our fellow classmates, Adrien!" She said happily, bouncing on her toes. She hadn't done that outside of home in years- his happiness was contagious.

"I do too!" He said, enthusiastically. "Everyone's been so kind to me! I couldn't have asked for anything better!" Marinette sighed in relief.

"Oh, I'm glad." She said, glancing at the clock. Mme. Bustier had sent her an email last night, saying that she'd be a bit late for class today. "Mme. Bustier told me she was going to be a little late- why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?" Adrien looked confused, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"About myself?"

"Yeah, dude!" Nino said, he was probably the closest to the blonde besides Rose. Nino tended to hang out around those who could use his help- especially new kids. "You just tell us what your favorite things are. Help us get to know you."

"A-Alright." He cleared his throat, observing them nervously. As he spoke, Marinette managed to sneak a glance at Chloe and caught her checking him out.

Marinette didn't exactly know _why_ Chloe acted like… well, _Chloe_ , but she would make sure that Adrien would be protected from anything harmful coming from her as much as possible.

"Well, my favorite color is blue, my favorite animal would have to be a ladybug, and this'll be my first year of public school!" And Marinette knew that he was a precious little cinnamon roll that needed to be protected at all costs. She shot a knowing glance at Alya, who nodded in agreement. Nino gave Adrien and thumbs up and they all moved to sit down, Adrien sitting beside Nino.

Mme. Bustier walked in not that long afterwards, smiling at them. "Good Morning class! For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mme. Bustier. Now, everyone settle down, and we'll start finding out who's here." She looked down. "Agreste, Adrien?"

It was silent for a moment, and since Marinette was sitting behind him she couldn't see the confused look on Adrien's face.

"Dude." Nino hissed. "Say here."

"Here!" He exclaimed, and the class stifled their laughter from behind him.

A cinnamon roll worthy of protecting.

Mme. Bustier smiled at him kindly with a hint of amusement in her eyes as she chuckled, before looking down again. "Bourgeois, Chloe?"

"Here."

Marinette could already tell that this year was going to be great.

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	2. Chapter 2

Shandy: Who's ready for chapter two?

Candy: Reviews!

 **Alexandra Elf: I think we can all agree with her there.**

 **WhitleyMiranda: I'm so glad that you've enjoyed it so far!**

 **KawaiiFanficLover: Oh, don't worry about Chloe.**

Shandy: ENjoy the chapter!

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Marinette couldn't really stop herself.

Another inspiration from the dream she had that morning had her designing in her notebook during lunch. She saw it as some form of apology to Kitty, because she couldn't remember where he had asked for them to meet.

She had been beginning the outline of a baggy jacket, inspired by the older version she had seen in her dream when she heard Alya speak.

"Oh, I know!" Alya shoved Marinette lightly. "Mari, Adrien's probably wondering why you wear your bell!"

Marinette blinked, looking up from her work and grabbing the said bell around her neck. It remained just as silent as the day that she had received it. It was the only real proof that she had of him besides the recurring dreams.

"My bell? Oh, a dear friend of mine gave it to me. The first friend that I ever made when I moved here."

"It's not just that!" Alya laughed. "Her father told me-"

"That's not for you to tell." Marinette lightly scolded, heat touching her cheeks. She knew that Alya was going to say 'that she said that it was a cat-boy', but she didn't need to be made fun of for having a supposedly 'wild' imagination. She smiled a bit shyly at Adrien. Besides, she didn't need him to know something as embarrassing as that.

"It might be ridiculous, but from what I can remember, he had green eyes, I gave him my good luck charm, and that I always referred to him as kitty." A harmless nickname that could be given to anyone. She absentmindedly fiddled with her necklace, wishing it would ring out. "I couldn't remember where he wanted to meet with me, but I do hope that he recognizes this bell if we ever meet again. Even if it's silent."

"Silent?" Adrien almost seemed confused. He had much right to be, it was weird for a bell to be silent. But it wasn't unheard of. It made her grow curious about him, but she wouldn't pry.

"Yeah. The ball's in there, and it jumps around, but no matter how hard you ring it, it won't make a sound." Nino described, coincidentally rhyming. Marinette hid her giggles. Typical of a DJ.

"That's cool." Adrien admitted, looking at Marinette. "How will you know it's him?"

"Simple." Marinette smiled, remembering how she had often thought of their reunion happening. "I hope that the lucky charm that I gave him is still with him, and that either I or he see it." She sighed a small sigh. "Then again, it's been so long, I doubt that I'll ever see him again." A strange look crossed Adrien's face, but Marinette didn't focus on it long enough to think on it, turning back to the jacket.

Black, to match the shadows around him. Green also to match his eyes…

She could see it already.

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Marinette sighed, spinning around in her chair lazily. Day one of school, survived.

Her parents had welcomed her home, asked how her day had went, teased her a bit about Nathaniel (who was a regular customer), just like they did every school day.

And just like every school day, she sat down and fantasised about her future.

Whoever she would marry- she didn't really have anyone in mind- would live with her in a two-story house. She'd have her own studio, and work for Agreste Industries. They'd have three kids, two boys and a girl. The boys would be Louis and Hugo, and the girl's name would be Emma. They'd also have a cat, dog, and hamster, and live close enough so that they could walk to her parent's bakery. That way maman and papa would be able to see Marinette more often.

Something Marinette wished in her own life. As it was, the most her grandparents ever saw of her was through video chats, social media, and family photos.

Inspiration suddenly struck for a sundress she had doodled in her free-time, and she looked outside. It was dark out, but not too dark with the christmas lights she had hung on her balcony. It would be perfect to start now and get some fresh air.

So she climbed up and out of her bedroom to admire the sunset, and then begin sketching.

Unfortunately, after about an hour had passed, she gained the feeling that she was being watched. She tried to invest herself in her design, but soon the invisible eyes staring at her became too uncomfortable. She slightly over-exaggerated a yawn and a stretch, going downstairs.

She watched from her window for a moment, looking for anything that might've been watching her. Then she realized that her light was on and turned it off, moving back to the window.

If she had blinked a few moments later, she would have missed the silver… rod? The silver rod (as she was calling it) that had briefly glinted in the moonlight before disappearing.

She waited a while longer before changing into her pajamas and hopping in bed.

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	3. Chapter 3

Shandy: Time for the plot to thicken.

Candy: I'm ready.

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Guest: I completely agree. ;3 #ProtectCinnamonRollAdrien**

Candy: Enjoy!

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" _Marinette, why haven't you come back?"_

" _I can't remember, kitty." She reached out for him, but he only seemed further away._

" _I don't understand." The figure admitted._

" _What don't you understand?"_

" _How am I supposed to do this?"_

" _Do what, kitty?"_

" _I want to meet you! You've seen me before, Mari!"_

" _When? I don't remember…"_

" _Marinette…"_

" _Marinette…"_

"Marinette!"

"I'm up, maman!" Marinette sat straight up in bed, instinctively rushing out of bed, only to trip over herself and fall to the floor.

"Ouch." She hissed, rubbing her neck as she sat up. "Nothing seems broken…"

"Marinette!" Her mother called from downstairs. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, maman!"

"Hurry up, honey! You don't want to be late again!"

"I'm hurrying!" Marinette sat up and walked around her room, getting ready to go to school as she reflected on this dream.

Now, she had looked up the meanings of dreams before, ever since she had started having them. She knew her subconscious was trying to tell her something… but what? Would it be in her personal life, or would it be something to do with kitty?

He had said that she's seen him before. Kitty had never said anything like that in prior dreams- it was usually him asking where she had gone, why hadn't she shown up to talk. It was never like this.

Which meant that something had changed.

Either that, or something big was going to happen soon.

She ate breakfast, pondering over her dream silently as she finished coloring in the jacket that she had started yesterday. She kissed her parents goodbye and hurried off to school, determined not to be late.

Alya met her up by the front gates, talking excitedly about her blog. It was all about superheroes and theories on certain situations. It was quite popular among the superhero community, but Alya stopped talking when she noticed Marinette's mood.

"Girl, is something eating you? What's up?" Alya asked.

"It's just this dream that I had."

"Is it the one that you've been having for a while now?" Alya asked. Marinette had told her about them when they had first started happening. Marinette nodded.

"Kinda." She admitted. "It was different this time."

"How so?"

"Well, he told me that I've seen him before." Marinette admitted.

"Really? Did he look any different?"

"No." Marinette shook her head with a sigh as they walked to class, Nino and Adrien already there. "He looked just like he did in every other dream."

"That's weird. To think, he would've changed if you've seen him before."

"Maybe only my subconscious knows that it's him."

"Maybe." They slid into their seats. "Anyway, how's your parents? Bakery still going well?"

"Yeah, it's going swell. We just got an order for some cupcakes for a baby shower, and you know how fun those are to decorate. How's your mom surviving at Chloe's place?"

"Just about as well as anyone else who works there that hasn't been fired." They laughed. "Honestly, I'm surprised my mom hasn't exploded yet."

"I am too."

"Alright class!" Mme. Bustier walked in, smiling at them all and stopping their conversation. "While I take roll, I want you to take out your textbook and flip it to page 39."

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Marinette was walking into class after lunch when she heard someone call her name.

"H-Hey, Marinette?" She turned around curiously, only to come face-to-face with a hopeful and shy looking Adrien. She smiled kindly.

"Yeah, Adrien?" She asked soothingly. "What is it?" She really didn't want him to be intimidated to ask her something- she _was_ there to help him.

"I-I, um,…. was wondering, uh…" The words seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, and Marinette smiled encouragingly. Shy cinnamon roll. "You're a designer, right?"

"Yeah!" Marinette said happily. She had no idea why he seemed to be like this around her. Then again, he was like this around a lot of new people, so she supposed she would only have to get closer to him.

"Well… uh, I was wondering, uh… If I could see some of them?"

Marinette blinked in shock. He wanted to see her designs?

"Oh, sure!" She smiled and pulled out her design notebook, handing it to him. He looked shocked, but now she understood why he had been so nervous. Asking a designer to look through their designs could lead to them copying designs, but this was Adrien- there was no way that he could do that. "I'll just need it at the end of class." She reminded him. "I hope you like them!" Then she moved to go and sit down in her seat, waiting for Alya to get back.

Adrien stood there for a few seconds before moving to sit down in his seat as well. She could see him flipping through the pages with great care, and it brought a smile to her face.

' _You like him.'_ Some voice inside of her head said.

' _No I don't.'_ She replied to the random wisp of thought.

' _Yes you do. You're just scared.'_ She studied Adrien from her seat behind him carefully, memories of a time she wished to forget resurfacing.

The teacher walked in as the bell rang, and she pulled out her bellowork to work on it.

' _We're just friends.'_ She said honestly.

' _That's what you want to believe.'_

' _We're. Just. Friends.'_ She replied with certainty. The voice in her head seemed to sigh in defeat, and left her alone to work on her bellwork. However, now unwanted thoughts and feelings were swirling through her mind, distracting her from the question on the board.

Suddenly, her design notebook entered her line of vision, and she looked up to see Adrien doing it while the teacher wasn't looking. She took it and read the sticky-note on the top of the notebook.

 _Is there any way that you could make me the cat-hoodie on page 78? I'll buy the materials and everything._

Knowing that she had multiple cat-hoodies/hats/jackets he could be talking about, she flipped through her notebook until she came upon the one that she had started designing on his first day of school.

The one that she had designed with Kitty in mind.

She glanced up at the back of Adrien's head, watching him shift a little bit, nervous. She imagined the jacket on him, and admitted to herself that he would look great in the jacket. And she did have materials coming in today that she had asked for a different project, but they would work splendidly for the jacket.

' _But that jacket's for kitty!'_ Part of her mind exclaimed.

She shook her head, dismissing the thought, and pulled out some scratch paper to write her response down.

 _I'd love to! I'll talk to you after school about it if that's ok._ She handed it back over to him and he read it. She could see the smile break out on his face as he relaxed, and she smiled, silently giggling to herself. He turned around a bit and gave her a nod in agreement, and she felt affection rise up in her chest.

' _You should catch yourself before you fall for him all the way.'_ That small voice in the back of her head warned.

' _We're just friends. Besides, this is his first year of school! He doesn't need to be swallowed with girl problems while he's getting used to this.'_

' _Just admit it already, we both know you're lying to yourself.'_

Marinette stared at the back of Adrien's head in deep thought, and then she looked back down to go to work.

' _Maybe a little.'_

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	4. Chapter 4

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Grapefruit101: I will.**

 **KawaiiFanficLover: ... but... is it _really_ inner Marinette? *smirks knowingly***

 **Guest: I'm glad you enjoyed it, and thank you!**

Candy: Enjoy the story!

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The second the bell rang, she only made it just past the door before he rushed up to her.

' _Man, he must be excited for that jacket.'_

"Hi Adrien!" She greeted happily.

"H-Hi Marinette!" He said, practically bubbling with excitement. "So, uh, I won't be able to do anything today- so I was wondering if, uh, you could make a list of what you'll be using? That way I can buy them."

"Oh, you don't have to do that." She said, smiling up at him happily as she remembered the fabric that would be in her room by the time she was home. "I already have all of the materials over at my house- you don't need to buy anything. Could you come over tomorrow so that I can get your measurements?"

"I'll see what I can do." Adrien replied with a smile.

"Alright- I'll see you tomorrow Adrien!" She said, turning to leave to go home and get started on her project, waving goodbye.

"B-Bye Mari!" Marinette smiled and giggled at the small stutter, walking home with a small skip in her step.

However, before she could get to the fabric that was awaiting her in her room, she crashed into someone in her family's shop.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry, Nathaniel!" She exclaimed, looking up at the redhead with wide eyes as she recognized the shy boy from her class. "I'm such a klutz…" She knelt down to clean up what he had dropped- some chocolate chip cookies. Nathaniel kneeled down to help her as well. While they did, their hands brushed once. Marinette wasn't affected, but Nathaniel's face exploded with red, although the bluenette didn't notice.

"I-It's alright, M-Mari." He said.

"Here, I can go and get you new ones from the back." She said, taking the cookies that he had picked up, and moving to go behind the counter.

"O-Oh, you don't have to-"

"I insist- nothing but the best of the best here at our shop." She said determinedly, throwing the ruined cookies away and grabbing him some new ones as he walked over to her.

"M-Marinette, I-I was w-wondering…"

"What is it, Nathaniel?" Marinette asked, looking at him curiously. Nathaniel blushed and looked away, his face resembling that of a tomato.

"If… If you.. If you could give me a cupcake to go with that." He said hastily. Marinette smiled and nodded, reaching for a cupcake that she knew was his favorite and putting it on top of the cookies bag, handing it to him. He took it with an embarrassed smile.

"Th-Thanks, Mari."

"No problem! Have a good day Nath!"

"Y-You too, Mari." He said with a smile. Then he took the baked goods and walked out of the store. Glad that one of her friends was satisfied yet again with her parent's work, she moved to go upstairs and begin to work.

She couldn't properly prepare to make the jacket for Adrien until she had his measurements, so this time was spent finishing past designs and drawing new ones that came to mind. She even worked on her homework, finishing it right after dinner. Then she went back to work on her designs for another hour.

Now, this was her normal schedule for school. Normally, she would finish or decide that enough was enough and hop straight in bed. She stood up to do so, moving toward her desk to place her notebook down and stretch.

This time, though, something knocked on her window.

She jumped, practically running over to the window. Sometimes there was a rare pigeon that would leave a feather or so there- she loved to collect their feathers.

However, when she opened the trap door, a new sight of a bouquet of flowers greeted her.

She blinked.

She blinked again.

She pulled herself up and onto her roof, picking up the flowers as well as she began to look around nervously.

These weren't her flowers. Yes, she had some plants on her rooftop, but these weren't the kind that she grew.

"Hello?" She asked the empty rooftop, looking around. She could hear her voice echo slightly as a gentle breeze brushed passed her cheek. "Anyone there?" A small pause. "I know someone put these here…"

When no one answered, she gave the flowers another look- a closer look. There was a note among the flowers. Gently, and with the utmost care, she pulled the note out and opened it, reading it's contents out loud.

"I hope you enjoy these flowers. From, Chat Noir." She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Chat Noir? Huh."

' _Black cat?'_

' _Doesn't kitty have black cat ears?'_ The voice from before asked.

' _Yes, but that doesn't mean it's him.'_ Marinette smiled and shook her head. ' _Probably just a prank from some boys at school.'_ She turned and crawled back inside.

"Alya's gonna flip when she hears about this." She closed the skylight behind her and placed the flowers on her desk, picking up her phone and opening her texting app. A sudden shouting, though she could not hear the words, seemed to echo around the room and made Marinette freeze.

' _What was that?'_

' _I don't know.'_

' _I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight.'_ Marinette stood up, grabbed a blanket and a pillow, the flowers, and her phone to take downstairs with her.

By now, her parents would be fast asleep, and she wouldn't be waking them up on accident.

 _Fashion Queen: Hey Alya, guess what just happened._

 _Blogger Addict: Marinette…? What is it this time? Even I need to sleep…_

Marinette placed the flowers in front of the camera and took a picture of it, and then a picture of the note, and sent it to Alya.

 _Fashion Queen: I think it's a prank from some boys at school._

 _Blogger Addict: I'll look into it- but no one would come up with a name as plain as Black Cat. If it was a prank, they probably wouldn't have put anything down for the name. Unless their that confident that we can't find out who they are._

 _Blogger Addict: What're you gonna do about the flowers?_

 _Fashion Queen: I'll put them in a vase and bring them to school tomorrow. Maybe we can find out who it is that way._

 _Blogger Addict: Good idea, but what if it's not a prank?_

 _Fashion Queen: Then it won't last more than a week. Two at most. You know how the guys at our school are._

 _Blogger Addict: Yeah, good point. Besides, it's not like they're gonna do this every day. I mean, honestly, who would be that commited?_

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' _Famous Last Words, Alya.'_ Marinette thought to herself the next night, when the mysterious 'Chat Noir' delivered yet another gift. This was of her _favorite_ chocolate that she had been craving recently, but it was so expensive that it would cost her entire allowance just to buy a single bar.

Chat Noir had gotten five bars, nicely wrapped in a green bow.

The note was similar to last night's.

 _Enjoy the chocolate! From, Chat Noir._

Marinette grabbed the chocolate and did a good, thorough look around the roof.

No one.

She frowned and went back down into her room, calling Alya.

"Marinette…? What's up?" Alya's sleepy voice called from over the line.

"It happened again."

"What did?" Alya yawned.

"Chat Noir left another gift." She could hear Alya sit up in attention at the mention of it.

"What?! What is it?"

"The chocolate that I told you that I had been craving."

"The expensive kind?" Marinette nodded, looking down at the chocolate.

"Yeah. _Five bars_ of it." Alya whistled across the line.

"Man, whoever it is is loaded, girl."

"I still think that it's a prank."

"Please." She could practically see Alya roll her eyes. "Who would buy someone five bars of expensive chocolate for a prank?"

"I-I don't know- an experienced playboy!" Marinette threw out randomly. Then she snapped her fingers. "I know- Chloe."

"Please explain your logic to this sleep-deprived mind." Alya said sarcastically.

"She probably wants to get my hopes up and then crush them into smithereens with some random guy who likes her."

"Girl, you haven't been Chloe's main target ever since…" A noise that sounded like Alya shaking her head, not finishing the sentence. "And besides, why would she have a sudden interest in you?"

"I… I don't know." Marinette admitted softly.

"Well, why don't you sleep on it?" Alya suggested, yawning. "We can talk about it tomorrow, alright?"

"Alright. Goodnight, Alya. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Marinette hung up and looked at her desk, where the beginnings of Adrien's jacket lay.

She sighed, for once not having the heart to do anything but lay in bed and think.

' _Chloe? Seriously?'_ The thought from before asked.

' _What? It's a real possibility!'_ Marinette exclaimed in her mind. Then she frowned. ' _Wait, why am I talking to myself?'_

' _I don't know.'_ The voice said, a bit too hastily.

' _You… you aren't apart of my conscious, are you?'_

' _...Maybe…'_ The voice acknowledged.

' _Then what are you?!'_

' _Now's not the time. Ask later- we both need our sleep.'_ The voice said hurriedly.

' _No, I'm not going to sleep until you tell me what's going on.'_ Marinette paused. ' _Hello? Hello~?'_

"I'm going crazy." Marinette concluded, pulling the sheets up and laying on her side, determined to go to sleep.

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	5. Chapter 5

Shandy: Reviews!

 **justsomebread: thank you!**

 **Guest: I'm updating. XD**

 **WhitleyMiranda: I am too. :3**

Candy: Enjoy the chapter!

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" _Marinette!" Kitty rushed up to her and hugged her tightly. Marinette froze in shock- this had never happened before._

" _K-Kitty?" She asked. A soft purr sounded and she wrapped her arms around him too._

" _Marinette…" Kitty said through the purr. "Wait for me. Promise you'll wait for me."_

" _Huh?" Marinette pulled back a bit, looking up at his face._

 _But instead of a shadow-clouded face, a black mask surrounded cat-like green eyes. It was the only thing she could see- his eyes seemed to hypnotize her. They leaned forward, and she felt as though her breath was being stolen away._

 _Marinette blinked, and the mask flickered a bit, revealing a familiar face, but she couldn't recognize it when it was replaced by the masked one again._

" _Marinette…" He muttered, and she felt his breath upon her lips._

" _Kitty…"_

" _Marinette… wake up."_

" _Huh?"_

"Wake up! I know it's the weekend, but Alya's coming over to hang out, right?" Her mother's voice reached her mind, and Marinette gasped, sitting up straight.

"Oh my gosh…"

"Marinette?" Sabine looked up at her worriedly. "Are you alright, honey? You've been acting strangely for the past month."

"Fine. I'm fine." Marinette smiled encouragingly at her mother, clutching the black cat stuffed animal that she had gotten last night tightly. Kitty's mesmerizing green eyes flashed in her mind's eye, but she shook it off.

"If you're sure…" Sabine didn't look convinced.

"I'm fine, maman. Honest." Marinette smiled, and Sabine let it drop, moving down to get back into the store.

"You know, sweetie, you can talk to us whenever you want to."

"I know, Maman."

"Alright- your father and I will be busy today- be sure to do a few chores before Alya comes over, alright?"

"Yes maman." Sabine left, and Marinette breathed a small sigh of relief, falling back to her bed.

One month. One month and three days. 'Chat Noir' had gotten her thirty-three presents- one for each day that passed. Several were expensive and things she had only dreamed about, but there were enough normal things that told her that 'Chat Noir' truly did want to get to know her, or already did.

She looked down at the stuffed black cat with the green eyes.

Her dream.

She felt her face heat up, a hand moving up to hide her face from sight as she thought of it.

Never before had he pulled her into a hug. He had always seemed unreachable.

But this time they could hug. And he was leaning in, closer to her.

They had almost kissed.

She groaned, rolling onto her side to stare at the wall by her bed.

She had seen a face.

She highly doubted that it was Chat Noir's, because brains were weird like that with dreams, but something inside of her told her that she would be able to tell for herself soon.

No, it wasn't the mysterious voice. She hadn't heard anything from it ever since Marinette figured out that the 'thoughts' were not her own.

She lifted a hand up to her lucky ladybug earrings, the ones that her maman had passed down to her when she turned sixteen.

Finally deciding to climb out of bed and get ready for the day, she left the stuffed animal behind and picked up some supplies, heading to the bathroom.

Maybe Alya could help sort things out.

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"Girl, there's one thing that you can do that you haven't tried yet." Alya pointed out as she watched Marinette fumble with making Adrien's jacket. It was almost done- she had taken her time with making it. It would be in the presence of her idol, after all. Adrien understood perfectly, telling her to take her time and that he could wait.

"What?" Marinette asked.

"You could ask him to meet you face to face yourself."

' _YES!'_

"Oww!" Marinette quickly brought her thumb up to suck on it, frowning at the voice in her head.

' _Finally decided to come back?'_

' _Do you really expect me to be here 24/7?'_

"You okay, girl?' Alya asked, reaching over and handing Marinette a small band aid. Marinette nodded in thanks, placing it upon her throbbing thumb.

' _I can't expect when you're here if I don't even know what you are!'_

' _You'll find out soon enough.'_

"Mari?"

"Huh?"

"I was asking if you were gonna give him the note. You know, ask him to meet you face to face."

"I don't know, Alya. I was thinking of letting him do it at his own pace. Surely, there must be a reason why he hasn't yet."

"Maybe he's butt-ugly."

"Maybe he's shy." Marinette shot back, continuing to work on Adrien's jacket. "You can't force people like that into the spotlight, Alya."

"But I'm getting impatient! I wanna talk to him already and give him a good talking to." Marinette rolled her eyes.

"If anyone's gonna meet him first, it's going to be my parents." She pointed out. "And besides, I don't want to scare him off. I want to get to know him."

' _As you should.'_

' _Oh?'_

' _Later.'_

"I guess." Alya sighed. They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Marinette tied off the string, snipping it with her fabric scissors.

"There! Finished!" She flipped it right-side out and let Alya admire her creation.

"Girl this is sick!" Alya exclaimed. "Adrien's gonna love it!"

"You really think so?" Marinette asked with a blush, just remembering that joyful smile that could make his face light up. Alya raised a knowing eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

"Of course he will, girl! You just have to remember to bring it tomorrow."

"I will! I promised to meet him before school started so that I could give it to him." Marinette admitted, placing the Jacket in a box carefully, and then securing it for tomorrow. "Wanna go down and watch something?"

"Sure!"

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	6. Chapter 6

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Demi (Guest) I am, and thanks!**

 **mysterious-dragonfly-girl: I'm glad you do, and I hope you enjoy!**

 **Guest: Here you go!**

Candy: Enjoy the story!

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' _Alright-'_ Marinette sat down in her computer chair once Alya left. ' _I want answers, voice. Who are you? What do you want?'_

' _I'm a guide of sorts… you can call me Tikki.'_

' _Tikki…'_ Marinette mused, and she glanced up at her skylight.

' _You know…'_ Tikki spoke. ' _You should leave him a note.'_

' _No, I'm going to wait.'_

' _If you wait any longer, you might lose the chance to forever.'_

' _Fine.'_ Marinette pulled out some paper and began to write on it. ' _But you have to tell me more about what's going on.'_

' _Alright, alright.'_ Tikki sighed. ' _I'm here, talking to you, because you're the only person I can talk to. I think your previous reincarnation might've been my holder…'_

' _Pardon?'_

' _I can explain when we have more time- it takes up a lot of energy to talk to you.'_ Tikki explained. ' _Anyway, I'm searching for my other half.'_

' _Other half?'_

' _Kinda like yin-yang. I'm creation, and he's destruction.'_ Tikki sighed, and it sounded dreamily. ' _Honestly, it's a one in a billion chance that you and his holder will meet, but I just want to see how he's doing, all by himself… I don't know what I'd do if I was in his situation.'_

' _Wow…'_ Marinette folded the paper up and moved to place it where he always left the gifts, using a piece of tape to stick it there. ' _Why's that?'_

' _That's a story for another time.'_ Tikki concluded. ' _My time's almost up- I'll be able to talk to you in a few days.'_

' _Alright… bye, I guess.'_

' _Bye Marinette!'_ And silence followed. Marinette groaned and rubbed her temples.

"I'm going crazy…" She muttered.

A sudden knocking caught her attention and she leapt into action, yanking open the skylight and looking at the expensive fabric markers that he left there.

But, this time, there were two notes.

And the one she had written was missing.

She looked around and noticed that her old notebook had given Chat Noir the extra paper to write the other note. She smiled, deciding to leave it there as she went down. She placed the markers down carefully by her backpack, opening up the small, neatly looking note first.

' _May you always be inspired! Chat Noir.'_

She smiled and placed it with all of the other notes she had gotten from him. Then she picked up the other note. She opened it with shaky fingers, reading the response to her note.

' _I would love to meet you in person, Marinette. However, before I do, you should know a few things.'_

Know a few things? She wanted to know _everything._

' _1). I'm the first friend you made in Paris. Gave you that lovely bell around your neck.'_

Marinette gasped. A smile began to grow on her face as she read the words again.

 _I'm the first friend you made in Paris._

He had seen her bell! He knew who she was! He reached out to her! Her heart thudded in excitement. They had found each other! She had never thought that it would be possible.

With even more interest than before, she continued.

' _2). I am different from most people that you'd meet. I don't know how you'll react if you see me.'_

Well, if he really was half-cat and came from the sky like she thought he said when they first met, then she wouldn't doubt that.

' _3). Everything about us meeting, and this letter, must be confidential. I'll know if it's not.'_

Marinette furrowed her eyebrows, confused. Was he really shy? Unless… there was something else going on.

Fear stabbed her chest.

' _4). Whether you still want to be my friend or not, you absolutely CANNOT tell the Police.'_

Marinette held her breath.

' _Not because I've done something wrong, but because of who I am.'_

Marinette wasn't sure what to think of that sentence. The only reason one should be afraid of the Police was if you broke the law.

' _5). Look up Hafukyatto and tell me if you still want to meet me. I hope you do. Chat Noir.'_

Hafu… kyatto? What was that?

"Hafukyatto…" Marinette tested on her tongue. She moved toward her computer, typing the word in.

Instantly, a page for scientific research popped up. She opened the first link that was there and began to read.

"Hafukyattos are a half-human half-cat race that can interbreed only with humans. Although the cause is unknown, mutations in genes is thought of as the most likely cause for this species. Hafukyattos originated in Japan, and only in Japan as far as we know. There have been a few out-of-country cases, but they relocated to Japan seeking support from their kind."

"Although they are a fairly new species, there are several support groups that are already taking action in assuring that Hafukyattos are not mistreated. These groups are mostly located in Japan, but there are a few outside of Japan. Sponsors of these groups include Eliza Wishman (author of the best-seller novel world-wide 'A Story of Love'), Dawn and Destiny Robel (Owner of Robel Tech.), and Gabriel Agreste (Owner of Agreste Industries)."

"While mostly human, Hafukyattos have cat ears and a cat tail. They also have heightened senses and an affiliation with cats. They tend to have many qualities of a cat, like purring when content, and jumping higher than average when spooked. Hafukyattos can interbreed with humans and their own kind, but most Hafukyattos that do end up married tend to marry humans."

"When female Hafukyatto's get pregnant, their body has a miraculous ability to actually house a litter like an actual cats. Even though they are born small, each and every child is born well-developed and healthy. On the other hand, if a female gets pregnant by a hafukyatto male, the process will be just like the normal human pregnancy."

"There is a chance that hafukyattos that interbreed with humans will have hafukyatto children. It is a 50/50 chance that the couple have a hafukyatto. We do not have any clues or techniques that can predict what causes this chance of birth. Gender and parental genders do not seem to affect this outcome."

"This page will be updated as new information is released to the public, but Japan is keeping a tight lid on the information. Only supportive groups and active sponsors know more than what has been released." Marinette stopped reading at that point, because the rest was information as to how to help Hafukyattos, and what groups you could join or support as well.

She pushed away from the computer and sat down.

That… was a lot of information.

No wonder he asked for her to keep it a secret.

Marinette eyed the time- it was getting late. She had a jacket to give to Adrien, and there was no way that she wanted to think herself in circles over this new information right now. She could do it tomorrow- she would do it tomorrow.

So without a thought to spare, she turned off her lights and hopped in bed.

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"How do I look?"

Marinette giggled, giving herself a good pat on the back for being able to pull this one off as she observed the jacket on Adrien.

"Like a model, Adrien." She smiled, when his smile grew as well. "I really like how it turned out- it really brings out your eyes and makes your hair look a bit darker." She looked over him, trying to find out what was wrong, when it hit her. She began to walk forward, lifting a hand up. "It would look really good if you messed up your hair-"

However, before she could say anything, Adrien had grabbed her hand, stopping it's journey. A blush flew over his cheeks, and he swallowed.

"I-I, um…" he couldn't look her in the eye, which made her grow worried. Was he injured? "Uh, don't l-like other people messing with my hair." Marinette blinked.

' _Oh. He probably isn't used to physical attention from people other than his family, if they give it to him.'_

"S-Sorry." He added when she didn't answer. Her eyes widened and she moved to correct her mistake.

"No, It's okay." Marinette gently took her hand out of his grasp to place it on his shoulder- a much more common touch. "I should've asked for permission to mess with your hair. Nothing to apologize for." She smiled up at him, and he smiled back, almost relieved.

"O-Okay." He cleared his throat. "So… you have a secret admirer?"

"Yeah." Marinette blushed, glancing over to her backpack, where last night's present lay. "I do."

She knew that Adrien knew that she had a secret admirer, so he probably just used it as a conversation starter.

She would make him comfortable around her yet!

"H-Have you met him yet?"

"No." Marinette replied instantly, remembering last night's letter. "But I don't think that he's going to show himself anytime soon."

"Why?"

"W-Well…" Marinette paused.

She could easily tell Adrien what had happened- about the letter.

She could share with the world that she had finally found her friend.

But, that would be betraying Chat Noir.

She shook her head. "Secret Admirers are supposed to be secret. The main point of it is the whole mystery concept." Adrien titled his head to the side slightly, and Marinette was happy that he had accepted her answer.

"What would you do?" Adrien asked. Marinette grew confused, and it must've shown on her face, because he elaborated. "If he did show himself."

"Well…" Marinette drew her face to the floor beneath her to think. "I guess… I guess I would try to be friends with him." She answered honestly. "I don't want to scare him off."

But he couldn't really expect for her to keep every single detail about it a secret, right? She'd need some truth in order to survive Alya's questioning.

"I was going to let him do it at his own pace, but Alya convinced me to make the first move. I left a letter for him last night."

"Oh?" Adrien asked. "What does it say?"

"I asked him if he wanted to meet me face to face one night." Marinette refused to meet his gaze, deciding to fiddle with her fingers instead. If she looked him in the eye, the secret would be out- and it hadn't even been a day yet!

"Did he reply?"

"Uhhh…" Great, the one question that Marinette _didn't_ want to answer. She thought long and hard on what her response would be, biting on her lip.

She had to make it convincing, otherwise Alya would know something was wrong right away.

"No, he didn't." She decided to say. Then words began to just fall out of her mouth. "Well, he kinda did, but just not directly. He said that now wasn't the time." Adrien opened his mouth to say something, but it was at that moment that Alya and Nino walked into class.

Now…

Would the story work on Alya? She hoped so.

"Good morning Alya, Nino." Marinette greeted warmly- as though she wasn't freaking out on the inside.

"Morning dudes." Nino greeted. "Nice jacket, bro."

"Thanks!" Adrien spun around a bit, showing it off. Marinette couldn't help but feel great pride from it. "Marinette made it for me!"

"It's amazing, dude!"

"So?" Alya asked Marinette eagerly, reminding the Bluenette that she had other problems at the moment. "Did he reply? Did he, did he?"

"He did, but he said that now wasn't the time." Marinette relayed her little fib. Even a small thing like that tasted foul in her mouth. Alya groaned and rolled her eyes, clearly impatient.

"He's gotta get some courage and introduce himself to you, girl!" She said as they both sat down.

"And I told you that I would wait for him to be comfortable." Marinette replied stubbornly with her own roll of the eyes. "And I will continue to wait. I can be patient."

"Girl, where was this patience when I was changing into the dress you made for me so that you criticize it? Or how about that one time where-"

"Alya!" Marinette exclaimed, face red with embarrassment. "Th-Those were different."

"Uh-hu. Suuure they were." Alya winked at Marinette, and she groaned.

At least she was able to keep the secret.


	7. Chapter 7

Shandy: Thank you, Demi, for reviewing! We will!

Candy: Enjoy the story!

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Marinette sighed, wanting nothing more than to be lost in anything but her thoughts.

It had been a few days, and they had been sending letters (of sorts) to each other to make up for the lack of communication. Or, so she guessed. She couldn't exactly read his mind, now.

Currently, she was fiddling with the fabric he had gotten her a few days ago. Perhaps a dress? She could make a shirt out of it as well… maybe a hat?

Cat ears. A black hat with cat ears and green eyes. She giggled to herself. At this point, she was probably obsessed with black cats.

He knocked on the trap door and she instantly moved, almost tripping over herself as she moved to climb up her bed. She reached up and pushed the skylight open, looking where he would leave the gifts.

Actually, they were aimed towards the sky, hoping for a glance at him.

She got more than a glance.

Mesmerizing cat-like green eyes stared back at her, almost as in awe as she was. His golden-blonde hair was messy, sticking up in odd places around his cat-ears, which twitched slightly. A black mask surrounded his eyes, coming to a point on his nose and making him look more mysterious. His clothes consisted of a leather suit, which seemed to be made to look like armor. His gloved hands had claws where nails would normally be, a tail swinging behind him almost casually.

 _Chat Noir._

She gasped, surprised at actually seeing him. Her eyes couldn't leave his cat-like ones, and out of the corner of her vision he could see her smirk.

"Hello _purr_ incess." He said with a wink. Marinette blinked in slight shock.

' _Did… did he just pun?'_ She thought.

"Chat Noir?" She dumbly asked, although she knew that it was him. It couldn't have been anyone else.

" _Purr_ esent." He raised his hand, like she saw several people do in school when their names were called.

"And… do you…" She paused. Would it be awkward to ask him to come into her room? What if her parents heard her? What if he didn't want to?

"Uh, I have the charm bracelet you gave me." He said after a moment, reaching behind him. He pulled out a silver staff of sorts, and attached to what she supposed was the top of it was the bracelet she had given him.

She hadn't seen it in ages- only having a few photos of it to remember what it looked like thanks to her parents. She reached for it, gently holding it as she fiddled with the clearly worn-out string, and the charms on the bracelet as well.

She smiled.

"So… kitty." She decided to say, looking up at him. "You clearly know a lot about me."

"Y-Yeah" He said, almost awkwardly. She could understand how, but she also wanted him to know that it was okay with her.

"Want to come inside and learn more about each other?"

"As long as it's okay with you Marinette." He replied almost instantly. Marinette giggled- so he was a gentleman, as she had guessed.

"Come on down, I apologize if it's a mess." She said, moving aside so that he could get down as well. She continued with getting off of her bed, turning around to watch him observe her room. She hoped he liked it. "Sooo… Welcome to my room."

"Fit for a princess, surely." He commented with a smirk.

"That's not gonna leave, is it?" She asked.

"Nope!" He said, far too cheerful for her liking. Suddenly, she wondered if he would have kept the nickname or not if she hadn't commented on it.

Probably would, compared to how dorky he was acting.

"It's very cozy here." He added as she thought. Marinette smiled a bit more, proud of the fact.

"It is." She said, and then she pointed to her chaise. "Why don't you go on and sit down- I'll go and get some snacks." She walked over to her trapdoor and walked down, leaving him to look around her room.

As she went into the kitchen, she mentally berated herself, and then tried to sooth her panic of him snooping through her things.

' _He's a gentleman-dork combo, right? He wouldn't do that.'_ She told herself, grabbing an assortment of cookies and two cups of the hot cocoa that had, lucky, just finished. After she finished preparing them, she very carefully walked back up.

To her relief, she saw him observing her room from her chaise, having taken her invitation to sit down.

"Here you go." She said, holding up the tray slightly. "I hope you like them- I'm sorry they're not fresh."

"It's fine, princess." He said, reaching for the tray when she offered a cookie. He bit into it and hummed happily, making her swell in pride. His tail swished behind him in delight. "This is delicious, Marinette!"

"Thank you." Marinette giggled at how cute he looked, sitting next to him. She had a burning question- especially since you can't trust _everything_ people put on the internet. "So… they're real?"

"Hmn?" Chat Noir paused, having already grabbed a cookie and lifting it up to his mouth to eat. He swallowed before he spoke- he knew proper manners, unlike some boys in her school (cough-kim-cough). "Oh, yeah, my ears. They're real- just like my tail."

"What about your eyes?" She asked, leaning a bit forward to get a better look at them. He blinked a bit in shock, staring her in the eye for a moment before he spoke.

"A… contacts. Only while I'm in suit, of course."

"Of course." Marinette echoed, unaware that she was doing so as she filed the information in her mind for later. She tilted her head curiously. "How do you hide them?"

"Well…" He paused for a moment, his tail stopping it's movement from behind him. "I normally wear a baggy jacket, and use some fabric to keep my tail close to my back." He explained. "My father managed to get some specially crafted headbands- they make it look like I'm just a normal human boy." He shrugged, almost as though he didn't think much of it.

He probably didn't.

Marinette couldn't imagine wearing a headband whenever she went out- she despised those things with a passion. They caused her headaches in her youth and never felt right on her head.

She was snapped out of her thoughts as he continued to speak. "But it gets uncomfortable, and they're really easy to knock off. No P.E. and no touching my head."

"That's… kinda sad." She said softly. "Why can't you just show them to the world?"

He smiled wryly. "Well… Hafukyatto's are a fairly new species, and most of them are located in Japan. There hasn't been anything hinting that they've appeared in other places in the world. Mother wished for me to grow up like any boy would, without being bullied for the way that I look."

"That makes sense." Marinette nodded to herself. If she was physically different from the others, she probably would've been bullied because of it.

She would prove to him that not everyone thought that way.

"But I think that they're cute." She said truthfully. She smiled up at him nervously, and she could see a small tint of pink on his cheeks. Probably from a compliment that he didn't get very often, she mused. "Do…"

She didn't want this to sound awkward- heaven forbid she over-step his boundaries.

"Is it okay if I touch them?" Marinette bit her lip, unsure if she had said the right thing.

To her surprise, he only chuckled.

"Of course, princess." He said, tilting his head towards her. She blinked a bit, surprised that he actually was willing to let her. She hesitantly reached up to touch the ear closest to her. There was a thin layer of what she supposed was protective, flexible fabric on the back of his ear, but the rest was left open.

Naturally, as she usually did when touching a cat's or dog's ears, she started to play with the hair around his ear. It was as soft as it looked, and fun to play with. It was only a few seconds later that she realized that there was a noise that hadn't been there before echoing throughout her room.

' _What is that?'_ She thought. She didn't have time to ponder it, as Chat Noir pulled away from her hands, looking embarrassed and his face pink.

' _Oh my gosh.'_ Marinette thought with slight joy, the pieces connecting. ' _He was purring!'_

Then she realized that maybe he didn't want that to happen and became mortified.

"I'm sorry!" She exclaimed.

"S-Sorry-"

"I didn't mean to, I should've asked first, but…"

"It's just… uhh…"

She blinked, looking at him as he looked at her.

He had spoken at the same time as her.

Marinette giggled- she knew that they were gonna be great friends. Chat Noir joined her not that long after, and they laughed together for a bit. Feeling playful, she spoke.

"So, Chat Noir. What's your favorite color?"

"Blue." He answered instantly. "Sky blue. And you?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She asked with a small laugh. His ears flattened, a hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck.

"Oh, right." He looked at her and winked. "This cat can be _fur_ getful at times, princess."

"Another pun." She acknowledged with a small, slightly dramatic sigh.

"Hey, what can I say, puns are the best." He said, leaning back lazily. Then he got up in her face. "Are you saying that mew disagree?"

"I hear enough from my dad." She laughed, pushing him away lightly by his nose. He stared at it cross-eyed for a moment before smiling goofily at her.

"Can't convert every heart to punning." Was his reply with a shrug. "My favorite animal is a Ladybug. Yours?"

"A cat." She said, looking him in the eye. She smiled lightly. "For a long time now, it's been a cat." The grin that grew on his face was well worth the puns and teasing that she suspected were going to fall out of his mouth.

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	8. Chapter 8

Shandy: We're sorry for the wait, guys!

Candy: We might've entered a writer's block (somehow) and taken a break from the story, but we're back!

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Aelindsong1991: XD I'm afraid that it's gonna be changing quickly here, tho. :3**

 **Demi (Guest): I will, and thanks!**

 **DarkBluePapillion: Thank you!**

 **Falls fanatic: Thank you, and I apolojize for the wait!**

 **kcinda: Thank you, and I hope you enjoy!**

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Marinette sighed dreamily, staring out the window.

Although Chat Noir was well gone by now, it didn't mean that she wouldn't stop thinking about him.

' _That was fun.'_ Tikki commented. Marinette was slowly getting used to have Tikki to talk to every once in a while, so she only nodded absently. ' _How's Adrien?'_

' _He's been better than I've ever seen him before.'_ Marinette admitted with a smile. ' _I'm really happy for him.'_

' _I have to leave soon, though I'm happy that I was able to listen to your conversation with chat Noir this time.'_ Tikki giggled. ' _I just have one question though- who do you like more?'_

' _Huh?'_ Marinette was so startled by Tikki's words that she jerked back, blinking. ' _What do you mean?'_

' _Well…'_ Tikki paused. ' _We've talked about how you like Adrien more than just a friend, but you don't want to pursue him because you don't want to pressure him. But what about Chat?'_

' _What about Chat Noir?'_ Marinette turned away from the window, frowning as she reached over for her hairbrush and began to brush her hair. ' _Chat's just a friend, like Adrien is.'_

' _Like Adrien is.'_ Tikki echoed. ' _So you do admit that you want to date him?'_ Marinette's heart thudded almost painfully, heat gathering in her cheeks.

"I… I-I don't…" She stuttered out loud.

' _I'll let you think about it, Marinette.'_ Tikki said, sounding slightly pleased with herself. ' _I'll see you in a few days!'_

Marinette didn't respond, the hand that she was holding her brush in stopped.

"How… how do I really feel about him?" She asked herself, eyes wide.

In all honesty, she had no idea.

Did she really only want a friendship with Chat Noir?

But… she liked Adrien. And she felt the same feeling when she was around Chat that she felt when she was around Adrien. So did that mean that she liked Chat Noir too?

But there was nothing stopping her from dating Chat. She could perfectly imagine them dating, almost like Romeo and Juliet, but without all of the dramatic death.

The very thought of Chat Noir smiling at her lovingly, holding out a bouquet of flowers and a kiss on the cheek.

" _For you, my princess."_ She could hear him whisper into her ear, and she almost squealed.

Unlike Adrien, Chat Noir was an open option. While Adrien had his father hovering over his every mood, along with the press, she would date him in a heartbeat. The only thing that stopped her from acting on her feeling was because she didn't want to pressure him with her feelings.

Going to a public school for the first time would surely be a new, strange experience. He didn't need to worry about people liking him or him liking others yet. Besides, she mused, he only saw them as friends. Nothing more.

However…

" _What's wrong, dove?"_

Marinette shivered, hugging herself.

They were different, John and Chat. John was more bad-boy, had a much bigger ego, and was crude.

Chat Noir was such a dorky gentleman. A true friend, who cared for her and cherished her deeply.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

Adrien was the safer option, but he was also one that wasn't available to her.

Chat Noir was the mysterious option, but he was one that was available to her.

So who would she choose?

' _Wait… choose?'_ Marinette asked herself. ' _Why should I choose? It's not like I'm going to act on my feelings toward either of them, or that they like me back.'_

Something wet fell on her hand, and she looked down at it.

"A… tear?" She asked quietly. She lifted a hand up to her face and, sure enough, she was crying. She glanced at the calendar.

Tomorrow.

It had been tomorrow.

Marinette laid down, back facing the calendar stubbornly.

She wouldn't choose. She would keep things the way that they were. It wasn't like anything was going to change in twenty four hours, things were perfectly fine now. She wouldn't change it for the world.

But as she tossed and turned, she was unable to feel comfortable enough to even attempt falling asleep.

A shiver crawled up her spine for some reason, and she hugged her blankets closer.

She didn't need to choose.

But why did she feel like she had to? That this perfect balance of her life wouldn't last forever?

Because it wouldn't. And deep down, Marinette knew that. And that she was holding herself back.

 _Choose._

She couldn't. They were both so amazing.

 _ **Choose.**_

She shook her head, curling up on herself.

She wouldn't.

Not today, anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

Shandy: WE'RE BAAAACK~!

Candy: Reviews!

 **kclinda: Thank you, and unfortunately things are gonna get worse before they get better.**

Shandy: Enjoy the chapter!

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She still didn't know what she wanted to do.

It had been two days, and she had no idea what she wanted. How she was going to do this.

And that was why she was picking at her dinner.

"Sweetie, is something wrong?" Sabine asked after dinner, when Tom had walked down to the bakery to double-check that they would be ready for tomorrow.

"Nothing really." Marinette admitted, drying off a plate and then putting it away. "I just need to make a choice, but I don't want to make a choice, and I don't know which to choose."

"Well…" Sabine placed a comforting hand on Marinette's shoulder, stepping away from the sink. "You know, sometimes you need to take a step back before you can choose. Take a break, hang out with your friends, relax. Whatever it is your going through, I'm sure that you'll figure it out."

Marinette's eyes teared up and she hugged her mother tightly. "Thanks. I might do that. I just- I really have no idea what I'm going to do."

"Go on ahead and go to bed, sweetie." Sabine said, tightening the hug a bit before letting go and giving Marinette a loving kiss on the cheek. "I'll finish cleaning up."

"Are you sure?" She asked, worried.

"I'm positive- go on up."

"Alright." Marinette nodded and placed the drying rag on the counter and then walking up the stairs to her room.

Her mother had a point.

She had to take a step back in order to figure out what was going on.

And that required pushing Chat away.

Tears sprang to her eyes, but she refused to cry.

Not now.

Almost as though fate was laughing at her, Chat Noir knocked on her window.

Her heart squeezed terribly.

If she put it off now, then she would never do it.

She opened up the trapdoor, looking up into his cheeky, joy filled eyes. At seeing her, they instantly sobered, staring down at her with concern.

"What's wrong, Mari?" He asked. "Is that Chloe girl bothering you again? If she is, I can-"

"I… I don't think that we should meet up like this again, Chat."

Marinette's mouth closed automatically, her teeth making a small clicking sound. She was too nervous to say what she wanted to say, or say it in any other way than the way that she was saying it, but she still needed to get her point across.

She just couldn't take the confusion anymore.

"Wh-What?" He asked, shocked.

"I-I'm sorry." She said, and Marinette could feel the tears building up in her eyes.

No. She wouldn't cry.

Not about this.

Not in front of him.

"But… as amazing as it has been, being me and my stupid self, I didn't think past the here and now. Something… something opened my eyes about me, about you- about us, today, and… and we really shouldn't meet up with each other anymore."

Marinette took a big, shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut.

She would NOT cry.

"I know you're my childhood friend. But I also know you and myself too well now." She turned away. "S-So goodbye, kitty."

She closed the trap door behind her, turning around and falling onto her knees. She remained stalk-still, waiting for him to open the trap door up again, waiting for him to ask her why, waiting for him to ask her what was wrong.

It remained silent for several minutes, and Marinette had the urge to look and see if he was even still there when she heard some shuffling, and then some muttered words.

"A-As you wish, princess." He spoke in such a heart-wrenching tone that the tears that she had been holding back fell from her eyes. "You won't have to see me like this ever again." A soft thud, and then a clunk, and she knew that he was gone.

In slight horror, she raised a hand up to her mouth as a sob was ripped out of her throat.

 _What had she done?_

The tears continued to fall, and eventually she found herself holding onto the stuffed cat he had given her as though it was her life-line.

Before she fell asleep, she spoke in a soft, wavering voice.

"I-I'm sorry, Chat. I'm sorry."

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The next day, she felt like she had just died and had been revived, and then killed again, ran over, and then revived again.

As she walked, half alive into class, and early for once, her phone dinged with a notification. She looked down at it.

 _Blogger Addict- Sorry, girl, I won't be in school today. Family matters._

She pulled out her phone to text her reply.

 _Fashion Queen- That's okay. Is everything okay over there?_

 _Blogger Addict- yeah. Just wish that I could be at school instead._

' _I wish that I wasn't.'_ Marinette thought to herself, putting her phone away as she sat down in her seat. The door to the class opened up, but Marinette didn't look up until the person spoke up.

"H-Hey." She looked up as he walked over to her. She was surprised when he looked just as bad as her, but she decided to put it off. She could ask, but he knew that he could tell her if he wanted to.

"Hi Adrien."

"A-Are you okay?" He seemed extra nervous today.

"Yeah. Just didn't sleep well last night." She smiled up at him, hoping to soothe down whatever was making him nervous. "You?"

"I'm fine." The small fib didn't pass Marinette blindly, but she chose to ignore it as silence surrounded them. "Uh… so, Nino's absent today."

Marinette internally raised an eyebrow.

' _Are you sure it's 'family matters', Alya?'_ She asked herself.

"So is Alya." Marinette sighed a bit. "Looks like we're the only people in our friend group here today."

"Y-Yeah, A-About that." He seemed to pause a bit, almost as though he was having an internal war with himself before he continued. "I thought that, since Ch-Chloe's been extra mean lately, that, uh, maybe w-we could sit together?" He half asked.

Marinette blinked in slight shock, and pink tinted his cheeks adorably. "I-It's just that she won't stop bothering me and I'm still learning to stand up for myself and normally Nino helps but since he's not here today and-"

"Sure thing, Adrien!" She said brightly, glad to not be alone and stopping his rant in the process. She scooted over to Alya's side of the desk, and Adrien seemed to be stunned. "I don't mind."

"Th-Thanks, Marinette." He sat down in the spot that she had previously occupied, the pink that was dusted on his face growing a bit more prominent.

They sat in silence for a moment, Marinette supposed that either Adrien was trying to figure out what to ask, or getting used to sitting a little higher than he normally did.

' _Should I ask him about my situation?'_ Marinette thought, glancing at him. ' _Any help would be amazing, and it's not like he knows Chat Noir. And I can always say that it's a question for a friend just in case.'_

"Adrien, I was wondering-"

"So, I wanted to ask-" Marinette blinked when his voice copied her own, turning to look at him.

'You can go ahead and ask-"

"Oh, you can go first-"

"It's probably more important-"

"Oh, I insist you go-" They paused, looking at each other again. A warm feeling began to swell in Marinette's chest, and she started to giggle, and that quickly grew into an all-out laugh as he joined her. She felt all of the negative feelings and stress that she had been holding in leave her as they laughed together.

It took a moment for them to calm down, and Marinette smiled up at him.

"You go ahead, Adrien."

"R-Right." He nodded, some of his nervousness coming back. "Well, uh, my father was eating breakfast with me this morning and saw the jacket you made."

Marinette snapped to attention.

"And? Did he like it? What did he say? Any pointers? Tips? Criticism?" She needed to know. Anything- ANYTHING at all would be advice from an expert, and would definitely be able to help her in the future.

"Well, he said that it was finely made, and he asked where I got it from, and I told him that it was you, and he, well, he wants you to come over for dinner on the first saturday of next month." He admitted.

Marinette's eyes grew wide as hope and affection for the boy in front of her rose to surprising heights. A smile grew on her face, but she needed to be sure that she heard right.

"Y-You're father. Gabriel Agreste, CEO of Agreste Industries, wants to have dinner? With me?" Her voice grew in pitch as she spoke, but she didn't care. "And said that my jacket was finely made?!"

"Yes." Adrien nodded, and Marinette couldn't hold herself back as she reached over and pulled him into an excited hug.

She couldn't believe it!

No, wait, she could, but she couldn't at the same time.

Did that make sense? She didn't think that Adrien would understand that.

"OHMYGOSH!" She squealed instead. "This is a dream come true! Adrien, do you know what this means?!

"Uhh… n-no, not really." He admitted.

"You're father was impressed by my work!" She said, letting go of him. "You're father! The king of fashion! Impressed by one of my designs!" She almost swooned, but she didn't dare do anything that embarrassing at school, so she got a hold of herself. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I could get an internship and work under you father! I could learn from the best of the best!" She squealed and hugged him again, not caring if he thought that this was weird.

"Thankyou,thankyou,thankyou,thankyou,thankyou! I'll go to the dinner on Saturday, clear any plans that I might already have! Thank you so much, Adrien!"

"You're welcome!" Adrien cheered. Marinette fangirled for a bit, letting go of him.

Gabriel Agreste liked her work!

"So… what did you want to ask?"

"Huh?" The question brought Marinette back down from her happy cloud, and she blinked, looking at him. "Oh, uh, I just needed some advice."

' _Please don't see through the story.'_

"I'm listening." He encouraged, and she took a calming breath.

"W-Well, asking for a friend here. It's been bugging me recently." She admitted, pushing her index fingers against each other nervously, not meeting his eye. "S-Say that there's this guy that you've been friends with for a while now. You had met once in your childhood, but you had recently found each other and started to get to know each other again." She glanced at Adrien, and he nodded to show that he was listening. She took a calming breath before continuing. "And then, one night, you're up late thinking about everything that you know about him, and all of your interactions together, and you realize something."

"And what's that?" He asked curiously. Marinette could feel heat graze her cheeks, and knowing that she was blushing made her blush even more.

"That you love them. Fallen for them. Would do anything to help them and make them feel safe." She glanced at him again, and then back at her fingers.

' _This is so embarrassing.'_

"And because of something that happened before, you grew scared because you didn't want be hurt again, so you shut them out to stop yourself from the inevitable hurt that would follow if you let it continue any further. But you feel so empty without them and you feel like a monster because they probably think it's their fault, but you're too scared to go out and look for them because they might ask too many questions that you can't answer. What… what would you do?"

It was silent for a bit as Adrien thought, and Marinette didn't dare to look at him.

"Well…" He paused before continuing as Marinette looked up at him. "I… don't exactly know. If you still don't really know, it's okay to wait a few days to sort everything out with yourself. It doesn't sound like you completely understand, and waiting a few days could also show you what you should do." He shrugged. "I can't really talk, because I don't know what it feels like."

"What what feels like?" Marinette tilted her head curiously.

"The love you talk about." He admitted. "Once, a long time ago, I knew what family love is like, and I still do, mostly anyway. I feel if for father and Nathalie every day. Then we have the friends-love that I learned about on my first day of school, but… romantic love? I don't know if I've felt it or not." It was silent for several minutes.

' _This poor boy.'_ Marinette thought. ' _Oh, Adrien…'_

"Romantic love…" She said slowly, trying to find the words to describe it. "There's two types. You have lust and love. Lust is where you find them really attractive. You want to kiss them, touch them, have them close to you, but it has nothing to do with who they are as a person. Lust is like… this strange feeling that echoes throughout your whole body. It excites you. Love, on the other hand…" She placed a hand over her heart, and the other over his, trying to choose her next words carefully.

How do you describe the emotion that has caused one such pain and inner turmoil? How do you describe an emotion that's constant, but isn't at the same time?

"You feel it here." She said softly, smiling up at him. His emerald green eyes were wide as they stared down and into her own. Pink was dusted along his cheeks again, and she continued on with her explanation.

"When your eyes lock, your heart flutters because you can see every emotion that they're feeling. When you see them smile, your heart jumps, and you can't help but smile because they're happy. When they laugh, your heart skips a beat, and you laugh too because they're too adorable for their own good. When their hurting, your heart hurts because you want to help them be happy again. When they're scared, you're heart grows and urges you to comfort them. When they're in danger, you feel the need to protect them so much, that you'll take the bullet for them, because they're your world and you couldn't imagine a life without them."

"But…" She frowned, looking away from the warm color of his eyes as another pair of eyes flashed in her mind's eye. "If the person you love hurts you, even if they love you too, you're heart breaks. Sometimes it's a single crack down the middle. Sometimes it's lots of little cracks that shatter your heart." Marinette could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. Just thinking of the pain she had gone through made her heart ache, but she kept it in and moved on.

"It hurts. So bad. Sometimes you want to stop loving. Other times you can't stop because you don't want anyone else to go through the pain that you went through." She wiped her eyes and smiled up at him, ignoring the tears that were still there.

"That's love, Adrien. The romantic kind." Marinette watched as he moved his hands to hold hers comfortingly, and then he looked her in the eye when she stared up at him.

' _What are you going to say, Adrien?'_ She asked as his eyes searched hers.

"Marinette…" He paused, hesitant and in awe. "That… that was beautiful." His expression changed from awe to worry in nearly an instant, and Marinette almost winced. "But… you sound so sure of it… have you… Have you ever fallen for someone before?"

John flashed in her mind's eye, and Marinette forced her shiver down.

"Y-Yeah…" She admitted. "Back in seventh grade. There was this guy named John. He stood up to Chloe when she tried to bully me into doing things. He taught me how to stand up for myself. We became friends quickly, and when I described him to Maman, she told me that I was in love with him. So, I planned to tell him how I felt about him. And then…" She bit her lip, refusing to look him in the eye. Adrien let go of one of her hands, using his right hand to cup her face and turn her face to look at him again.

"Mari, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He said softly.

"I want to." She assured him. "No good relationship is built on lies and secrets."

' _Another reason why Chat and I can't work out.'_ She thought to herself.

Dang it, she was gonna cry again. She took a steadying breath.

"John, he loved me too. But not in the same way I did. He only saved me because he lusted for me. He told me the day I had planned to confess that he didn't want anything to happen to my beautiful figure. That scars don't look good on me. That, in return for his good deeds, I should let him do what he wanted with me."

Marinette paused for a moment, swallowing.

"I reported him to the Principal, and he was expelled from school because that wasn't the first time he did something like that. Later I found that his family had moved away, so I wouldn't be seeing him ever again. Which I was glad for. I just wish I could travel back in time and slap myself out of it. Save me from the pain."

"I'm glad you told me that, Marinette." Adrien said, pulling her in for a hug. Marinette felt tears well up in her eyes again. "If, If you ever need me, I'll be here. You can talk to me about anything you want to, okay?"

Marinette hugged him back, tighter than she needed to.

' _How lucky am I to have friends like these?'_ She asked herself.

"Th-Thanks Adrien." She whispered. A few seconds later, she pulled out of the hug and smiled up at him, rubbing the extra tears out of her eyes. Adrien smiled back at her, and Marinette could see the affection in his eyes. It made her heart stutter and twist happily.

' _But why did I have to fall for two of them?'_ She asked herself. ' _Why? Why not only one, or neither of them at all? Why did they both have to be so amazing?'_

The bell rang, and she scooted a bit to be more in Alya's seat, having scooted closer to Adrien earlier.

' _What a mess this is.'_ She thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Shandy: Time for the next chapter!

Candy: Reviews!

 **BDemon1995: Thanks!**

 **kclinda: Don't worry, she gets it together. :3**

Shandy: Enjoy the chapter!

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' _You did WHAT?!'_

Tikki's voice caused Marinette to wince, focusing more on her project as she tried to ignore the voice in her head.

' _I told him to go away, Tikki.'_ Marinette replied. ' _I'm just so confused, and my maman suggested taking a step back, and the Chat Noir came down and… oh, this is all another big mess of mine again, isn't it? Clumsinette, ruining her chances with one of the boys of her dreams yet again.'_

Suddenly lacking interest in her project, Marinette pushed herself away from her desk and placed her hands over her face.

' _I just ruin everything, don't I? I can't even keep a friendship with someone who needs it!'_

' _Marinette… that's not true.'_ Tikki replied. ' _You just went about doing it in the wrong way. You can learn from this- you can get him back as a friend.'_

' _He told me that I'd never see him like that ever again.'_ Marinette quoted. ' _If I can't even keep my word, then what's the point?'_

' _Marinette-'_

' _Not now, Tikki.'_ Marinette stood up. ' _Not now.'_

' _I'll… I'll come back later, then.'_ Tikki said, and Marinette almost cried again because now she was pushing away even those who understood, and just wanted to help. She cried for a bit, moving to her chaise.

' _What is wrong with me?'_ She asked herself.

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"M-Marinette, c-can I talk to you?"

"Sure, Nathaniel." Marinette smiled at him as Alya and Nino (Adrien had been called home early for lunch, something about how he had acted at home a few days ago. Marinette hoped that he would be okay) walked on to lunch, turning to face the redhead completely. "What do you need to talk about?" She smiled falsely- the smile that she had thought she had gotten rid of long ago had come back full force.

"N-Not here." The red head shyly looked at her as he shifted from foot to foot, clutching a notebook to his chest. "Someplace private."

"Why don't we go to the park then?" Marinette asked. Nathaniel's face lit up a bit in a blush as he nodded, and together they walked out of the school and towards the park. They sat down on a bench and Nathaniel paused as she prepared to listen to whatever he wanted to say.

"I-I don't know what's wrong, because you've been looking super depressed recently, a-and I'm not exactly good with words, but…" Nathaniel opened up his notebook, and Marinette gasped at the page that she saw.

There, on the paper, was her face. She was smiling, with a hand up to her mouth in a way that Marinette knew that she was either giggling or trying to smother her laughter. There was a smile on her lips and happiness in her eyes, and Marinette's heart tugged painfully at the sight.

"I wanted to know what happened." Nathaniel continued, blushing. "To the girl in the picture. A-And I'm sorry, for drawing you without permission, I know how creepy that can be and-"

"It's okay." Marinette placed her hand over his and smiled at him sadly. "It's really sweet of you. I've never had anyone draw me before, and it's really flattering." Nathaniel's face exploded in red from the compliment.

"S-So… uhh…"

"You… you wanna know what's wrong?" Marinette asked, and Nathaniel nodded. "Well… it's kinda complicated, I'm not sure how to describe it properly, but… I-I think I'm in love with two people." She middled with her hands, pressing her index fingers together.

"Go on." Nathaniel probed.

"W-Well, I know that I can't get with one of the guys- too much is on his plate and he's still getting used to things, and I don't want to overwhelm him with my feelings-"

"Adrien." Marinette blushed and nodded, before pausing.

"You don't know the other guy, I don't think he goes to our school, but he's super sweet and kind and funny. He adores bad puns." Marinette giggled. "He started talking to me a few weeks ago, and we've been getting really close as friends. But…" She frowned. "I couldn't choose between them. Not to mention that I didn't want to fall in love, and then I did somethings that I really regret, and now I'm pushing people away left and right and-" She sighed, slouching against the bench. "I don't know what to do."

It was silent as they sat there- some kids shrieked during their game of tag and rushed past them.

"Well…" Nathaniel paused, and Marinette looked up at him. "I… I think you're making everything a bit complicated."

"What-"

"This is really just a battle between the mind and heart, r-right?" Nathaniel asked with a gentle smile. "Your heart is telling you to do something, but your mind wants you to do something else." She narrowed her eyes, watching him carefully.

"I… I guess…"

"And you've been listening to both." Nathaniel continued. "You're listening to your heart, and then your brain makes a valid point that you agree with, and you're regretting your decision. The answer is simple, Marinette."

"Simple?" Marinette raised a skeptic eyebrow.

"In a way, that is." Nathaniel laughed a bit. "Love's not simple. But there is a simple form of it. You just have to… I don't know…" He paused, looking down at his photo of her before smiling. "Read between the lines."

"Huh?"

"Well, a picture paints a million words, right?" Nathaniel asked. "Same thing goes with actions. You have to read between the lines. And once you do that, you come up with two things that you can do about it. Then, despite the risks involved, you choose one and follow through with it. It's simple, but it's also complicated."

"That's…" Marinette smiled before drawing Nathaniel in for a hug. "Thanks Nathaniel. I really needed that."

"Wh-What can I say?" Nathaniel stuttered a bit when they pulled apart. "Anything for a friend."

"If you don't mind me asking…" Marinette stood up, and Nathaniel did too. "But it sounds like you've had experience with it. What happened?"

"Nothing." Nathaniel smiled at her, but Marinette somehow had the feeling that he was trying to paint over the truth. "I haven't had any experience with love. That's just what I think."

"If you say so." Marinette smiled, her mood slightly brightened. "Come on, we should head back to class."

"A-Actually…" Nathaniel paused. "I think I'm gonna go. I need to think over something."

"Oh." Marinette blinked, but then smiled. "Alright then. I'll see you later, Nathaniel."

"See you later."

If she was being honest with herself, she didn't get any sleep the next night, thinking over Nathaniel's words over and over again.

By the time the morning after came, Marinette knew what she was going to do.

She was gonna get her chaton back.

She walked to school with purpose, mood perhaps better and brighter than it had been. She walked into class with such a mood, smiling and excited.

"Hey Mari." Marinette smiled at the blonde, but grew concerned at the amount of tiredness that laced not only his voice, but his eyes. "You look great! Like, amazing!"

"Why thank you, Adrien!" She tilted her head in confusion, extremely worried. "Are you okay? You look like you could fall asleep on the dot."

"I just haven't been sleeping well." Adrien brushed off, smiling up at her cutely.

' _No. You chose Chat. get over it.'_

"Honestly, I'm just glad that everyone is doing better than me."

"Dudette, what's got you so upbeat today anyway?" Nino asked.

"Oh." Marinette blinked, and then she could feel her cheeks heat up. Dang-it, she forgot to come up with a cover story! She pushed her two index-fingers together nervously. "I finally decided on something for… one of my designs! Yeah! It's going to be awesome!"

"That's great, Mari!" Adrien smiled goofily, and Marinette couldn't help but fangirl over how cute it was. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful! I can't to see it!"

"Th-Thank you." She mumbled, moving to sit down in her seat.


	11. Chapter 11

Shandy: Alright, guys! Who is ready for this? I know I am!

Candy: Reviews!

 **kclinda: thank you! And if you remember from the other timeline, it's also very necisary. :3**

Shandy: Enjoy!

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Marinette was growing frustrated.

And annoyed.

EXTREMELY annoyed.

' _Why does that hafukyatto have to be so dang loyal to his word?!'_ Marinette thought to herself as she desperately looked over the skyline for any sight of her friend, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, She shivered as a wind blew past- she had given up on being subtle a while ago.

Her phone alarm started going off, and she sighed, moving back down into her room.

If she couldn't find him on her balcony, then where on earth could she? She had never called out his name, he didn't want any attention on himself, and if she drew attention to him by calling out he probably wouldn't be pleased and never talk to her ever again.

Maybe she was being a little over dramatic, but it was the truth!

As she fell onto her bed and groaned into her sheets, she couldn't help but think over her plan.

That had been failing ultimately.

For the past week or so.

And then it hit her.

 _He had promised!_

If she could just find the alley that they had first met, he had promised to come down and talk to her if she was there!

But how?! She had completely forgotten which alley it was, and it was extremely dangerous at night…

But she knew where every alley within a block's radius of her house was. She could start with them.

Tomorrow.

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The soft breeze through the small alley stung her as she hugged herself, waiting for him to show up.

' _What if it's not this one?'_ She thought. She shook her head. ' _No, if it's not this one, then I can try the next one tomorrow. It's not like anything bad is going to-'_

"Well well, wha'do we have here…?" A voice spoke. Marinette froze.

That was _not_ Chat Noir.

"What's a pretty thing like you doin' out this late?" He asked, walking closer to her. Marinette took a step back, and then another.

"L-Looking for someone." Marinette admitted, looking around for an escape as her back hit the wall. The man walked closer, leaning down and smirking.

"Well, looks like you found 'someone'." He said. Marinette dashed off to the right to escape, but the man grabbed her and threw her back against the wall.

"Where do ya thing you're goin'?" The man asked, leaning down. Marinette panicked and hit her forehead against his nose, but he punched her cheek in return as she struggled. "I've been needin' this for awhile now."

All that Marinette knew, was that she wasn't going down without a fight.

She struggled for a bit, fighting against him as she tried to block his punched, but she couldn't protect herself from all of them. Marinette kicked his shin, but before she could force herself out of there, but he threw her on the ground, by where some glass and gravel was. She skid along the ground for only a second before getting on her hands and feet, backing into the opposite wall as he approached her again. He grabbed her hands and held them away as he reached for her pants, her kicking and twisting useless against what was sure to come.

' _This is it.'_ She thought, closing her eyes. ' _I'm done for.'_

That was when the heavens decided to show her mercy.

A snarl sounded from the sky, and a silver pole coming from above her hit the man where the sun don't shine, launching him into the wall across from her. A figure dressed in all black landed in front of her just as fast, tail swishing in aggravation and ears lowered in suppressed anger.

Marinette didn't need him to turn around to know that it was Chat, and she felt herself gasp.

 _He had come to save her._

Tears of joy filled her eyes, but now was not the time to celebrate.

His angry hiss cut through the air like a sword breaking the chains of what was sure to be the end of her, his staff somehow shrinking to a size that he was surely comfortable with.

"Who the f*** do you think you are?" The man said, glaring at Chat Noir. "She's my prey for the week. Go find yourself some other b**** to f***."

"You touched her." Chat Noir growled, forcing the words through his teeth and the hiss in a way that sent shivers up her spine. "Where _no man_ is allowed to touch."

"Look-" Before the other could respond, Chat Noir pounced forward, grabbing him by the neck and pinning him to the wall.

Marinette was too shocked to move or say anything.

She had expected this, when Chat Noir had admitted that he was very protective of those that he was close too, but…

She had never imagined that he would be like _this..._

"You _hurt_ her." He growled into the man's ear- Marinette almost wasn't able to pick up his words. "You _f***ing_ _hurt_ her."

"Y-Yeah, so?" Chat Noir raised the man off of the ground, still holding him against the wall. Marinette's breath hitched.

If nothing happened, Chat Noir was going to choke him to death.

Marinette knew that she had to do something, and her mouth opened, but words couldn't come out. She tried again.

"Chat…" She watched as Chat Noir froze, and his ears twitched in response to her call. She tried again, and she was awed that she could even speak. "K-Kitty…"

With her second call, reason seemed to come back to him- almost like he had been so focused on what he was doing, so lost in his actions, that he hadn't been thinking clearly.

Chat Noir knocked the man unconscious with a swift punch to the head, the unconscious body falling to the floor. Then, silently, he turned around, picked her up, and used his staff to launch themselves to her balcony, which was only a few houses away.

He didn't waste any time getting her inside through the trapdoor, going downstairs and setting her down on her toilet.

"Is everything alright?" He asked- his first words to her as Chat in at least two weeks. The reality of the situation crashed down on her, and she felt the need to cry.

Oh, how she had missed him.

"Ch-Chat." She stuttered, tears began to pool into her eyes as she began to cry. "O-Oh, kitty-y." She hiccuped, and he hugged her, his presence soothing any fear that she had felt before as she cried. Whether she was crying in shock or happiness, she didn't know. She was just glad that he was here again.

"M-Marinette." His body shook, and it was only then that she realized that he must've been crying too.

What had she done? What had she done to this amazingly sweet young man who deserved nothing bad? Oh, how she regretted her actions.

"Don't scare me like that. Wh-What were you even thinking, being out on the streets this late at night?! Y-You must have a death wish, Mari! I don't want you to do that ever again!" Marinette hugged him tighter. She had to tell him why- he needed to know, before he slipped away from her.

"Y-Y-You stup-pid cat!" She exclaimed. "I-I was out-t there b-because I need-ded to-"

"Y-You probably don't even w-want me here." Despite his words, he held Marinette tighter, burying his nose into her neck. She hugged him a bit tighter, hoping to help calm him down. "I-I should check f-for injuries, and then-n I'll be out of-f your hair- oh my gosh, I sh-should've come to s-save you sooner-"

"I-I wanted to talk to you, Chat!" She cried out, slightly fearful that she might've broken his eardrums until she remembered that his ears weren't located there. "I-I'm sorry about th-that night, I-I-I just didn't- and then I-I panicked, and I w-wasn't thinking straight- a-and I'm just so glad you're here now, kitty!"

They sat there for a moment as he processed her words, and she bit her lip nervously.

 _What if he didn't want her?_

He slowly pushed her away, and fear shot through her a bit. She didn't let it show, instead giving him a confused look. "C-Come on, Princess. I gotta check you for any injuries."

"No." She said stubbornly, hugging him tighter. If this was the last time that she was gonna be able to see him, she'd make it last as long as possible. "B-Being near you makes me feel better."

She knew the logic was that of a child's, but she didn't care.

"M-Mari… Princess…" Chat Noir hugged her and nuzzled his nose in the crook of her neck, and her cheeks lit up in a small blush. "We can cuddle _after_ I make sure that you're alright." She relaxed in slight relief.

He wasn't going to leave.

But…

But he was _warm~!_

"But-" She was about to tell him so when he interrupted her.

"Please?"

"Fine." Marinette let go of Chat (only because she knew that she was being childish), and she watched as he began to access the damage. He seemed to mostly only observe, his heightened senses probably allowing him to tell how bad something was. He lifted her shirt up after a moment to see if there was any other damage done around there.

' _Oh my gosh.'_ Marinette's face heated up. ' _Why does having a crush on someone who's checking up on you make it feel so much more intimate than it should be?'_

He looked up at her, and with a small start she looked away, embarrassed at being caught staring at him. He quickly put her shirt back down, a blush on his face as well.

She almost squealed.

"Wh-Where's your first aid kit?" He asked, clearing his throat.

"Under the sink." She said. He nodded and reached over, opening the cupboard and grabbing the container labeled 'First Aid'. He fumbled with it for a bit before he pulled out several items.

It was silent as he dressed her wounds, with her helping him with some of the things that he didn't necessarily understand about the medical supplies.

Marinette bit her lip nervously. The silence was grating on her nerves, and the thoughts that had been swarming her head lately made themselves known.

"I'm sorry."

"What?!" He exclaimed, surprised. "Why on earth would you be sorry?! If anything, I should be! If I had been there earlier-"

"It's not your fault, Chat!" Marinette cut him off stubbornly. "I was the one who told you to stop coming over! I was the one who made everything complicated! I was the one who went out tonight without telling my parents and without any fighting experience in an attempt to right my wrongs! None of this is your fault, Chat!"

Chat Noir blinked, shocked. Marinette would have been embarrassed had she not felt so strongly about it, her hands shaking by her sides.

"Marinette…" He swallowed nervously. "Why did you leave your house tonight?"

"I needed to find you." Marinette winced a bit as he finished, standing up. To her slight annoyance (and swooning) Chat Noir quickly stood to help her, and she accepted it, letting him lead her to her bedroom. She was glad for the help, and for the fact that he was still there. "I needed to apologize. I could've handled the situation better, and since you never came back when I was out on the balcony for the last few nights-"

"Wait- that was to try to talk to me?" He blinked, and she looked up at him to see the shock on his face. "I mean, I suspected, but I thought you were meeting with someone else, or were testing my willpower." Marinette giggled a bit at the cute expression on his face, and out of embarrassment.

"Yeah. I didn't know how else to contact you." She admitted, slightly nervous. "Then I remembered that you told me all those years ago to meet you in the alley that we met if I wanted to talk, so tonight I went out in an attempt to find you. To apologize." He helped her sit down on her chaise, sitting down next to her. His warm body was right next to her, and she couldn't help but relax.

"Apologize for what, Princess?" He asked.

"For telling you to leave." She admitted, her eyes a little heavy. "I could've done it better, in a way that wouldn't have hurt you the way I know it did." At his shocked face, she giggled.

"D-Do you know who I am?" He asked nervously. She shook her head sadly.

If he knew how badly she wanted to know that, he might never come back.

"No, I don't." She admitted. "I know you well enough to know that it would hurt you. And that it was very likely that you would be mad at me. I made everything so complicated, kitty." She leaned against him, her body feeling heavy.

He was just so _warm_ and _soothing..._

"You should go to bed." He said, shifting a bit so that he could pick her up, carrying her to her bed. "Not that you need it, but Princesses should have their beauty rest."

"I'm not tired." She complained, fighting back a yawn.

"Sure your not." Chat Noir's voice was laced with amusement as he laid her down in her bed. He turned around to leave, and Marinette panicked. He couldn't leave yet, and in her tired and panicked state she grabbed his tail.

As he turned to look at her, confused, she couldn't help but wince. She knew his tail was sensitive, but…

She couldn't imagine...

"Stay." She said, looking up at him and hoping that she had somehow managed to portray how desperate she needed him here. After a moment's hesitation he gave in to her request, laying down beside her. He didn't protest when she turned to cuddle him, eyes growing heavy as he cuddled her back.

Sleepily, and needing something to distract her, her hand found its way to his ears and began to scratch in a way that she knew he liked. A purr escaped his chest, and he snuggled closer to her.

Marinette had never felt safer in her life.

"Now…" Marinette yawned, relaxing further into him. "I just need to tell him…"

Her eyes closed, the purr only serving as a catalyst to her sleepiness, lulling her into sleep's embrace.


	12. Chapter 12

Shandy: Ahh~ Summer Vacation... the time to relax and enjoy life as it is-

Candy: But we've been too busy to properly enjoy it.

Shandy: Anyway- reviews!

 **kclinda: Thank you!**

 **(Guest)Demi clayton: I will! :3**

Candy: Enjoy the story!

0287837582375082370587328075082783750827357237582783580723

 _Marinette gasped as she was suddenly held hostage, a knife to her neck. Chat Noir froze before her, and she gasped._

" _NO!" He shouted, growling. "Release her!"_

" _You don't understand." The deep, gravelly voice spoke from behind her. "You ruined my chances of getting to her. You're gonna pay."_

" _Release her!" He shouted again. "Do whatever you want to me- just let her go!"_

" _I was hoping you would say that." Chains from seemingly nowhere shot up from the ground and wrapped themselves around his wrists, pulling him towards the ground and onto his knees._

" _No! Chat!" She exclaimed, struggling against the man's hold. "Chat! Chat Noir, don't! Get away! Chat!"_

" _Shut up!" She looked up just as a hand moved to come down, and she was slapped. "He will pay for coming across me."_

 _Click._

 _Marinette's eyes widened, and she struggled against his hold, trying to get in the way of the gun before it was shot._

 _BANG_

"No!" Marinette gasped, her breathing heavy as she tried to sit up, but something heavy was resting against her middle and prevented her from moving. Her eyes were blown completely wide, and she struggled against the weight until her hands found smooth leather and some soft hair.

Blinking out of her fear-induced state, she looked down at her stomach, her hands shaking slightly. There, Chat Noir lay, using her stomach as a pillow. He had unconsciously moved her shirt up a bit, and his arms were wrapped around her. A rumbling noise echoed around them, a blissful smile on his restful face as he purred. His upper leg was draped over her lower ones, his whole body cuddling her like a body pillow.

Marinette began to work on slowing her breathing, leaning back against her pillows as she tried to relax.

That…

That had been some dream.

She shivered, but almost as though sensing her distress he cuddled her closer, his purr growing louder. Marinette smiled.

"You're too good for your own good." She told his sleeping form, lifting her hands up so that she could start combing her still-shaking hands through his hair.

It was just a dream.

A nightmare.

Thoughts and clear memories of the dream began to fade away as she ran her hands through his hair, his purr only growing louder as she did so, and she giggled.

He was just so cute~!

As she calmed down from the nightmare (mostly thanks to the soothing, magical-feeling purrs that came from his body), she found herself humming and getting lost in thought- not wanting to think about the dream or what had happened last night.

Several moments later, Chat Noir purred a little louder, and she giggled, the tune being interrupted while she silently fangirled. He snuggled the side of his face into her and she giggled- this time from the fact that it tickled her.

Like a cat, Chat Noir stretched, his back arching as he rolled over to rest his body on her other side, face still on her stomach. He relaxed almost instantly.

"Warm…" He muttered, nuzzling her stomach as his hold on her tightened a bit. "Nice…" He sighed, and Marinette giggled. She hadn't known that he could sleep talk! It was adorable!

Now that she could reach his back a little easier, she moved her hands to begin to scratch his back and rub it. His purr only increased.

Marinette jumped a bit when a beep echoed throughout the room, looking down and at his hand, which was resting on her stomach- right next to her belly button.

She watched as his eyes sleepily opened, staring at his ring in slight confusion as one of the green pads blinked out of existence. Marinette was too shocked to speak- she had never seen anything like that happen before. He seemed to shrug, not caring for what it meant as he snuggled her a bit more.

Then he froze.

Marinette was about to speak up, seeing as he seemed to have woken up, when he yelped and jumped- almost falling off of the bed in his rush. Marinette's heart stopped and she didn't hesitate to grab him and pull him back to safety. He looked at her, his face turning red as he swallowed nervously.

"Good morning, Chat." She said, hoping to calm him down from whatever it was that had freaked him out.

"G-Good Morning, Marinette." He stuttered. Marinette watched as his eyes began to clear up, most of the hazy state from being asleep leaving.

' _What on earth is he thinking about?'_ Marinette asked herself when his face suddenly exploded with color

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked, confused and a little worried. Just in case he had gained a fever somehow, she lifted her wrist up to his forehead.

"I-I'm fine, Princess." He replied, glancing at her alarm clock. She grew aware of the fact that she had no idea what time it was and glanced over there as well, noting that it was 9:47.

Her attention was brought back to Chat Noir when he pulled her hand away, kissing her hand. A second later, his ring beeped again, and he scowled down at it. Marinette furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Kitty?"

"I apawlagize, Princess, but this cat needs to go before I turn into something you don't want to see yet." He quickly stood up and bowed. "I'll see you tonight, Marinette. We can talk about everything then. I purromise I'll be there." Then he opened the latch, looked down at her one last time for the day, saluted, and rushed toward his room.

Marinette stared after him in confusion, but she didn't think more on it because he said that he would be back later.

Then it hit her.

Today was Saturday.

 _The Saturday._

She hastily picked up her phone and launched herself out of bed, dialing someone.

"Marinette…?" Alya asked sleepily.

"Help!" Marinette exclaimed. "I'm having dinner with Adrien and his father today! How could I forget?!"

"Calm down, I'll be right over." Alya mumbled something about 'you shouldn't even be panicking right now' before hanging up. Marinette threw her phone on the floor as she threw open her closet, pulling out the outfit that she had prepared for it.

But what should she wear with it?!

' _At least…'_ She thought, looking back up to her skylight with a small smile and a blush. ' _At least things are better now.'_


	13. Chapter 13

Shandy: Time for some fun!

Candy: Reviews!

 **kclinda: yes, yes we do.**

 **Demi Clayton (Guest): Thank you!**

Shandy: Enjoy the story!

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After finally deciding the right accessories, hairdo, and makeup to go with her outfit (after Alya had convinced her that leaving at 11:45 to get there early was getting there _too_ early, of course), Marinette soon found herself arriving at the Agreste mansion. She nervously shifted her grip on her design book before pressing the intercom button.

"Hello?" Nathalie's voice came through.

"Uh, hello!" Marinette said a bit awkwardly. "I-I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I was invited to dinner."

She mentally patted herself on the back.

"Come in. We have been expecting you." The gates opened, and Marinette blinked for a bit before standing up a little straighter and walking in.

She couldn't believe that she was actually going to talk with her idol! Over dinner! She internally squealed, but stopped herself as the doors to the house opened. Nathalie stood there and let her in.

"I must say, I'm a bit impressed." Nathalie said after the door closed, observing Marinette with a professional eye. "You are only a minute early."

"A-Am I?" Marinette asked, and Nathalie nodded.

"Yes. Mr. Agreste likes punctuality, and very few people your age seem to respect that as well."

"Oh."

"Do you mind telling me, Mrs. Dupain-Cheng-"

"Please." Marinette smiled up at her. "Call me Marinette."

"... Marinette." Nathalie replied with a small smile. "How did you meet Adrien? He's told me his version, but I would like to hear yours."

"Oh." Marinette smiled at her happily. "Well, I actually accidentally slept in, and as Class President It's my job to tour the new kid around school. I knew that it would probably happen, so I asked a classmate of mine who liked to be early if she could give the tour if I wasn't there. I actually met him just moments from the bell- I had run into the classroom and he was standing there, turning to look at me."

"That sounds eventful. Do you value sleep?" Nathalie asked. Marinette nodded.

"I do, but I often ignore that once an idea for a new outfit comes to mind." Marinette admitted sheepishly."

"A Night Owl, I see. That is a very common trait amongst the fashion designers I have met."

"Really?" Marinette asked, and Nathalie nodded, fixing her glasses.

"However, they are not as willing to admit to it as you are."

"O-Oh."

It was only then that she had heard the footsteps, and she turned just in time to see Adrien walk forward in a dashing suit that through Marinette for a loop. It was obvious that it had been tailored to his size, and Marinette had to admit that whoever had made it had good tastes. She wouldn't have been surprised if Gabriel had made it.

"H-Hello Marinette!" Adrien said enthusiastically. "I'm so glad you could come!"

"I'm happy that I could be here." Marinette replied, practically bubbling with excitement as she rocked on her heels.

"Did you make your dress?" Adrien asked, observing her dress. Marinette almost beamed in pride- she had perfected her responses to that question while prepping with Alya, so as not to make a fool of herself.

"Yes, I started on it as soon as possible after you invited me." She smiled down at it and gave it a small twirl. She looked back up once she was done, feeling a bit shy for some reason. "What do you think?"

"It looks amazing, Marinette!" He said. "I bet father will love it too!"

"Where is Mr. Agreste anyway?" Marinette asked, looking around. When she realized how that might have sounded rude, she corrected herself. "I mean, I know I came early, I don't mean to sound impatient-"

"He'll be down in a moment." Nathalie replied swiftly. "He's just finishing up a few things." Marinette nodded, a bit embarrassed as she shifted her weight on her feet.

Oh, how glad she was now that she had decided to go with the flats! The heels would have been digging into her feet by now.

"How's your parent's bakery?" Adrien asked, distracting her from her thoughts. "I heard that they had that big order that needed to be finished by today, right?"

"Yeah, the Eiffel tower cake." Marinette nodded. "They've been taking turns with making it, but it's looking great so far. They said that they'd have it finished by the time I got back home."

"Do you like it? Living in a bakery."

"It's interesting at times." Marinette admitted, almost biting her lip as she replied. "I didn't particularly like it when Maman and Papa first moved here to set up shop, but I grew used to it. I'm not all _that_ great at baking as my parents are, I'm better at the frosting decorations and manning the store. I have learned a lot of things from it though- and it helps me a lot with inspiration for my designs."

"Sounds like a lot of fun." Adrien smiled sheepishly. "And you're parent's pastries taste amazing from what I've tried when you bring samples to class."

"They love their job."

"I apologize, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, for my tardiness. I had some important business to take care of before coming here." Marinette jumped, as Adrien smiled and turned to look at his father, clearly used to the man making such surprising entrances. Mr. Agreste walked down the steps professionally, stopping before the three of them.

' _Oh. My. Gosh. I am standing right before THE Gabriel Agreste! Okay, Marinette, keep it cool. You can't faint now- or panic. Definitely not panic. Both would be equally bad.'_

"Hello, father." Adrien greeted politely, ever the gentleman. "Father, this is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, my friend from class, and the one who designed my jacket. Marinette, this is my father." Gabriel nodded slightly at his son in approval, and it hit Marinette that this wasn't just a meeting with her idol.

It was a test, for not just her, but Adrien too.

Butterflies full of nervousness exploded in her stomach, and she suddenly realized how the weight of a _lot_ of things rested upon her shoulders.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Dupain-Cheng." Gabriel said a bit stiffly, holding out his hand to shake. Marinette took it, shaking a little, but she did her best to steady it.

"Pleasure is mine, Mr. Agreste. And please, call me Marinette." She smiled up at him, though his expression was unreadable. It made her terribly uneasy.

"Did you make your dress?"

"Yes, sir." Marinette said, looking down at her dress. She stopped herself from fiddling with it nervously. "This is one of the ones that I've been wanting to make for a while. Mother recently gave me my check, and I've been saving up for a while to buy some materials." He motioned for her to spin, and she did, earning a nod from him. She almost sighed in relief.

"And is that you're sketchbook?" He asked, gesturing to the book in her hands. She nodded, fiddling with one of the pages that was sticking out a bit. That was the page that she had stuffed in there from her other book, which had been falling apart.

"Y-Yes, it is. I brought it in case inspiration hits me- I bring it with me everywhere." She admitted with a blush. Gabriel nodded again and then turned around.

"Come, dinner should be out shortly, and I have several questions for you." Marinette glanced curiously at Adrien, but all he gave her was a supportive smile and a thumbs-up before following his father.

Marinette took a calming breath before following him.

' _Breathe.'_ She reminded herself. ' _Everything will be okay as long as you remember to breathe.'_

Marinette was a bit confused when they walked straight past the dining room, but she didn't comment. Soon, they were walking outside in the backyard and towards an easily seen Gazebo. Three chairs were set up around a medium circular table, with tableware set up and candles in the middle of the table, flickering to and fro.

And…

And it was absolutely _breathtaking._

' _BREATHE!'_

"Wow…" Marinette muttered, absolutely amazed.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Gabriel asked, his expression softening as he leant down and caressed a rose. Marinette blinked in shock at the expression change, observing as much as she could. "Annalise insisted on having this garden here. Said it would be a calm safe-haven and a place of inspiration. It was her favorite place. I figured that we should eat out here- to respect her wishes of wanting to meet all of Adrien's… friends." He stepped away from the flower and walked towards the table.

' _Why'd he hesitate when he said friends?'_ Marinette asked herself as Adrien hurried ahead to pull the chair out for her.

"Thank you, Adrien." She said, smiling up at him as she sat down, allowing him to push her in. They sat in silence for a bit as their personal Chef came out and delivered the appetizer, muttering 'thank you's as he left. Gabriel instantly turned to his food, and Marinette was completely lost.

There were so many utensils! How was she to know which one to use?! Oh, she knew that she was gonna fail!

A hand entered the corner of her vision and tapped the table lightly, gaining her attention. She looked up, confused. Adrien smiled and gestured as subtle as he possibly could to watch. Then, he selected the proper silverware, Marinette following close behind, and began to eat.

' _Thank you, Adrien!'_ Marinette exclaimed in her thoughts as she glanced at the blonde, who was also eating. ' _I'll get you your favorite treats after this, I promise!'_

Once they were done, the Chef left with their dirty dishes, leaving them to wait and converse while waiting for the Main Course.

"So, Marinette." Gabriel said, scooting a bit closer. Marinette almost jumped, but she concealed it by sitting up a little straighter instead. "I've heard from Adrien that you are the Class President, correct?"

"Yes." She she said slowly. "I am."

"It must be hard with Chloe Bourgeois in your class." He lifted his glass half-full of water. "Tell me, how do you handle her?" He took a small sip, placing the glass back down on the table. Marinette studied him curiously for a moment before answering.

"It is hard." She admitted. "Her mindset it that everything is about her, revolving around her, and directly related to her well-being. She also tends to throw her father's influence as Mayor around so that she can get her way."

"Go on."

"She kinda has… her own language." She described, thinking over her words carefully before she spoke. "She knows when she has a good idea or a bad idea and shares it, but she says it in a way that makes everything an insult. It's a bit fun working with her, I hate to admit, because she thinks that she should be in charge, when she actually follows and copies me. I prove her wrong when she's being obvious about it, but I don't do it often so that I can avoid her turning her father on me. I also try to influence her behavior by being the best I can. She has a sharp eye and knows when someone is in the wrong, or when something is being hidden." Gabriel nodded when she glanced at him, and she continued.

"She often points it out to everyone in an embarrassing way, though it is helpful. I wish she could do it differently, but whenever I try to explain why she gets angry simply because she hates me. It's also hard to work with her in group projects or for class activities, we often end up clashing and throwing words at each other."

"You seem to have a bit of history with her." Gabriel admitted.

"Her father and my parents tried to get us to be friends when I first moved here to Paris." She explained. "Though our fights have matured, they haven't stopped or lessened. I guess it's just habit."

"I see." Gabriel shifted a bit. "May I see your designs?"

"Of course." Marinette smiled and handed him her sketchbook, her hands shaking with nerves.

What did he think of them?! What if he didn't like them?! What if she was banned from any possible job in the fashion industry ever again because she offended him?!

"You're parents tried to get you to be friends with Chloe?" He asked, interested. Marinette welcomed the distraction with wide arms, smiling at Adrien.

"Yes." Marinette nodded. "As the Mayor, Chloe's father was rather insistent on visiting every shop in Paris once a month- especially the new businesses. When he learned that we were the same age, he asked Maman and Papa if it would be okay to set up a few playdates between us. I still hadn't made any friends in Paris yet, so they agreed. All Chloe every really did was rub it in my face how much better off she was and how her place was so much better. I admit, I was a bit entranced by the idea, but I was a bit sour about moving away from all of my good friends." Marinette shook her head, a bit sad. "The past is the past, anyway. Nothing we can really do to change it." She smiled, looking at him inquisitively. "How has your day been?"

"A little boring." He admitted. "The most exciting part is you coming over by far- I don't have many friends over all that much." He paused. "How was yours?"

"Well, Saturday's always been one of my favorite days." Marinette replied, shifting a bit. "I don't have to wake up and rush to school to be sure that I'm on time. I helped my parents out in the bakery a bit, sketched on my balcony, hung out with Alya, and got ready to come here and eat dinner with you both." She beamed happily.

It was then that the main course arrived, and everyone was silent as they ate- Marinette picking up subtle hints from Adrien as too what the proper etiquette would be sometimes (Thank the stars above- Alya had truly given him the perfect nickname when she labeled him as 'sunshine child'. He was too pure, kind, and sweet for this world). It was only after the Chef came back and retrieved their dirty plates that Gabriel returned Marinette's sketchbook.

"Impressive for one of your age." He admitted, and Marinette blinked in shock.

' _What.'_

"And promising for any career that you might choose in the fashion industry."

"Thank you." Marinette said absently, having gone on autopilot while she internally squealed, placing her book off to the side. "It's been my dream ever since I saw your autumn fashion line eight years ago."

"Really?" Gabriel looked a bit shocked for one who often didn't show emotion, raising his eyebrow a bit, his voice monotone. Marinette was a bit embarrassed when she realized what had happened, but there was no point in going back on it.

"Yes." Marinette nodded, smiling. "I've always loved drawing and making things with my hands, but I'm clumsy so I can't always be trusted in the kitchen. I was surfing the web for DIY projects I could do when I saw your designs. I grew curious and clicked on the link, and a whole new world was opened up to me. It's something that I can do without having to trip over everything and potentially ruining something."

"I see." He glanced at Adrien for a moment before looking back at Marinette. "Tell me, Marinette, have you ever heard of Hafukyattos?"

Marinette answered easily, smiling as she remembered Chat Noir. He'd be coming over after this was over to talk, she really couldn't wait. "I have heard about them, yes. One of my friends talked about how her cousin back east was one. Why do you ask?"

Okay, so that was a small lie, but how was she supposed to say 'yeah, one visits me dressed up in black letter with a mask on my balcony every night'?

Totally didn't work.

"Interesting." Gabriel muttered. "What do you think about them?"

"They sound like an amazing species." Marinette admitted, remembering her vast research on the subject back when she and Chat Noir had talked through letters. "They are fairly new, very rare for them to be born outside of Japan. It must be very challenging for them to live."

"Yes, I believe so too." Gabriel nodded. "Do you have any personal experience with them?"

"I don't think so." Marinette admitted, shifting a bit. "I'm not close to my family- it's expensive to go and visit them in China, so I haven't heard of anything from them about Hafukyatto's."

She also knew that one lived in Paris- one that could possibly know her outside of his mask, and she wouldn't even know it.

"You see, Marinette, I have a few..." He paused, finding the right words. "Personal experiences with them. It has become apparent to me that not all clothing can be comfortable for them. I wish to find a solution to that." He gestured to her design book. "You show very promising talent that can grow beautifully if you have the right guidance. Very few employees of mine know that Hafukyatto's even exist. If you accept to help me with this challenge, I assure you an internship at Agreste Industries, and perhaps you can make a name for yourself that way."

If Marinette wasn't dead before, she sure was now.

A chance to work with Gabriel Agreste?! To help a species become more comfortable?! To help with something that was directly related to Chat Noir the, her love interest, without knowing it?!

Holy crap!

' _DO NOT FAINT- REPEAT, DO. NOT. FAINT.'_

"Y-Yes!" She exclaimed, bursting with excitement as the Chef came out with the desert. "I would love to, Mr. Agreste! That would be amazing!"

"Fair warning, Marinette." Gabriel said seriously. "I will work you hard. You will be constantly busy, and it will become increasingly hard for both you, your friends, and family."

"I always find a way." Marinette said proudly, and she knew that she would have to warn everyone when she came home. "I'm not a quitter, Mr. Agreste."

"Good."

They finished their desert in some silence, talking about several different things until Marinette left to go home.

Now, to go and talk to Chat.


	14. Chapter 14

She didn't bother with her hair when she got home, just changing into some pajamas and then walking onto her balcony with her sketchbook in hand. She rested on the edge, staring out into the night as she tried to think of something to draw.

But her thoughts kept on wandering to Chat Noir and her feelings for him.

When was she going to tell him? How would she? A good relationship was never built on secrets, and they already had plenty of secrets between the two of them. They didn't need anymore.

Maybe she would just say it one night, randomly. Like she normally did when something bothered her enough.

But that might end with him thinking that she wasn't serious.

Should she tell him about what she was doing with Gabriel Agreste? Would he appreciate it, or would he be distant?

" _Beautiful."_

Marinette gasped and spun around, her eyes landing upon Chat Noir and straight into his emerald green eyes.

 _When did he get there?!_

"Did I say that out loud?" He asked, embarrassed, his hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. Marinette nodded.

"Yeah." She said, still stunned.

Why had he said beautiful?

Did he find her beautiful?

Did he like her back?!

' _No, bad Marinette! You're not supposed to get your hopes up!'_ She scolded herself, looking down to her right. Then she looked back up at him.

"I'm glad you're here."

"I am too, Princess." He walked over to stand beside her, and Marinette's heartbeat sped up. "So… talking about yesterday."

"Yes, yesterday." Marinette nodded. She shouldn't be concerned about her crush now, they had important things to talk about.

"You look much better." Chat Noir leaned in a bit closer, observing where her wounds would be. His eyes furrowed in confusion as he picked her right arm and looked at it. She grew confused as well- didn't he know what happened?

She supposed that he had to have done something to hurry up the healing process, but if he didn't then who did? What did?

"How'd that happen?" He asked.

"I don't know- I thought you knew." Marinette answered. "After you left I went to go and check up on things and I was healed. It's never happened before to anything else."

"Huh." He let her arm fall to her side, and she missed the warmth of his hands. "Speaking of, I am so sorry about this morning, I had absolutely no intentions of…" He blushed.

"Cuddling with me?" Marinette offered, teasing a little. "Using my stomach as a pillow?"

"Yeah."

"It's fine." She giggled. "It was adorable." She was delighted by the blush that painted his cheeks. At least, what she could see from under his mask. "Especially with the purr." He lifted his hand up to hide his face in embarrassment. "If i'm being completely honest, it helped me a lot."

"Wh-What do you mean?" He asked, letting his hand fall and looking at her curiously. Now it was Marinette's turn to be embarrassed.

"I woke up that morning because of a nightmare." She admitted, almost shivering when she thought about the dream. "I panicked and almost flung you off of me, but there was something about you purring that helped me calm down and re-think it all clearly. So thanks, kitty."

"Y-Your welcome."

"And." She sighed, looking away from him as a blush grew on her cheeks. Now was the perfect opportunity. "I should tell you why I asked you to leave."

"You don't have to explain yourself." Chat Noir said softly. His hand gently reached forward and moved her chin so that she was looking into his eyes. His emerald, cat-like eyes were stern and full of confidence, and she knew without a doubt that whatever he said was the truth. "I'm just glad that I'm able to spend time with you again."

"Really?" She asked. She didn't know why, but he suddenly smirked playfully, his eyes twinkling in amusement.

"Of course!" He said, his voice light and airy. "I can _purr_ omise you that your dear knight in shining leather has been very lonely these past few weeks without you, _purr_ incess." He stepped back and bowed, looking up at her through his golden mop of messy hair. She snorted at the bad puns, any uncertainty or hesitation leaving as relief settled in.

She was so lucky to have him.

"Silly kitty." She said, scratching him behind the ear, and he let out a little purr. "Stay?" She asked, a little hesitant.

"As long as you want me to, Princess." He said honestly, standing up to look her in the eye, goofy grin still on his face and still making her internally swoon. "This Hafukyatto will stay by your side, no matter what." At the promise, Marinette stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him in gratitude.

"Thanks kitty."

"So…" She pulled out of the hug a bit, smiling up at him as her eyes got lost in his. "Wanna go down? I can destroy you in Mario Kart." Chat Noir smirked and she could see it in his eyes that he had accepted the challenge.

"Oh, you're on, Princess."

After a fun night of video games, they had to part. Chat Noir bowed and left her with a kiss on her hand, staring into her eyes before swiftly vanishing.

Marinette stared after him, so love-struck and so caught up in the moment with him that she hadn't noticed that the trapdoor to her room had opened while Chat Noir had been saying his goodbyes while they had walked up to her skylight.

That was, until her best friend spoke.

" _Girl!"_

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(Just thought you should know that I could've left it here XD)

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Marinette jumped and spun around, looking down from her bed and at a shocked Alya, who had her hand up and pointing at the skylight almost limply, mouth hanging wide in shock.

"I-I can explain!" Marinette said hastily, rushing down from her bed and to her best friend as Alya seemed to snap out of it.

"Who the heck was that?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Marinette hissed.

"Your parents don't know?!"

"Of course they don't!" Marinette replied as she closed the door behind Alya, who was still absorbing the information. "You think my parents would let me hang out with a Hafukyatto who likes to visit me at night dressed up in all black with a mask on?!"

" _What?!"_

"I said to keep your voice down!"

"Keep my voice down?! How am I supposed to do that when I learn of this huge secret that you've been keeping from me?!" Alya asked. Marinette directed her to the chaise and sat her down, sitting down next to her.

"I'm going to explain, so keep the noise down and let me talk." Marinette said, a little calmer than previously. She took in a deep breath before speaking.

She recounted the entire story, explaining to Alya that he had actually replied to her note that one night and about how he had revealed himself shortly after. She explained her dilemma between choosing between Adrien and Chat Noir, and how she had sought to fix things between them. She ended with the solid claim that she didn't care what Alya thought about a masked stranger visiting her every night, and that she would continue to see him no matter what.

"Mari…" Alya sighed. "I understand why, and I'm not gonna stop him from seeing you. As much as I'd love to meet and interrogate him, I'm not sure if that would be the best choice. Especially with all that you've said about him. I'll keep it a secret, but you gotta tell me if anything like this happens again, okay?"

Marinette smiled gratefully at her friend and gave her a tight hug.

"I will. I promise." She said.

"Now, I came here to see how the dinner went, since you hadn't called me to freak out about it yet." Alya said, and Marinette exited out of the hug happily.

"Oh, Alya, it was the _best_! He offered me an internship!"

" _What?!_ Girl, you gotta warn me before you drop a bomb like that!"


	15. Chapter 15

Shandy: Hello guys!

Candy: Reviews!

 **kclinda: Thank you! ;3**

 **BDemon1995: Thank you!**

Shandy: Enjoy the chapter!

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The next day, and the many days and weeks and months after that, Marinette noticed that something was… off.

Specifically with Chloe.

For one, she wasn't as mean as often anymore. She had also stopped trying to cling to Adrien and, dare she say it, be nice to Sabrina.

It was most likely all an act, Marinette had mused, having been bullied by the blonde for several years now.

It was cold, and several guys and girls at the school were nervous.

Why?

Valentines Day was here.

The school had been decorated in reds and pinks and whites, and several couples could be seen around the halls- holding hands, kissing, and cuddling. (This was not including the fair share of shrieks and squeals that she had heard from several other students.)

There was also the fact that, despite having no love interest as far as she was concerned, Adrien was nervous. She wanted to ask, but whenever she thought of it she realized how occupied he looked and decided that it would be better to not try and let him figure it out on his own.

Especially when Nino had asked. Adrien had brushed it off with saying that it was personal matters that he didn't want to talk about. If it was so personal that he wouldn't even talk to _Nino_ about even the smallest detail, then how was she supposed to do that?!

As she mulled over everything in her head instead of working on homework, a crash sounded from her balcony.

Instantly she jumped- why would Chat Noir be here? She opened up her skylight frantically only to find him standing there with a bouquet of flowers in hand, staring at her with wide eyes with a broken pot by his feet.

"Chat…?" She asked curiously. He quickly hid the flowers behind his back, an embarrassed look on his face.

"Uhh… Can you go back down for a moment?" He asked, fidgeting slightly.

"Uhh… okay." She said, going back down and closing the skylight behind her. She sat down on her bed, mulling over what she had seen.

What was he planning? Maybe he was giving her a valentine. Several of her friends had given her friendly valentine's today, and she had bought snacks for her whole class.

She hung her head in shame when she remembered that she still hadn't told him about her feelings.

She was a real coward.

After a moment longer, Chat Noir knocked on the trap door and she instantly turned around to open it. She wasn't prepared for the flowers she had seen earlier to be placed right in front of her eyes, with a smirk on his lips and a twinkle in his eye.

" _Fur_ you, _purr_ incess." He said, winking at her. She might've let out a small gasp, unsure of what to make of it as she was given the flowers.

"Thank you, kitty." She smiled up at him, slightly amused when she noticed that he had attempted to clean up his mess.

"I'm sorry about the pot- I didn't mean to do that." He scratched the back of his head nervously. "I-I was wondering…" He paused for a moment, and Marinette was very eager to know what he was trying to say. "If I could take you somewhere tonight." Marinette blinked, shocked.

Was… was he asking her out?

But where would they go?

Unless he decided to show her who he was, they couldn't exactly go anywhere. She raised an eyebrow.

"And where would that be?" She asked.

"Just the most beautiful and inspiring spot in all of Paris." He nearly purred. Marinette giggled, internally rolling her eyes.

"Let me go and get my sketchbook." She said, going back down into the room. She hastily grabbed some winter clothes to keep her warm, as well as placing her flowers on her desk. She hesitated before grabbing some pencils and her sketchbook. You'd never know when inspiration would strike.

Besides, this was probably only a friendly date. Something special to give her for the Holiday when she was alone. (She didn't know if he was dating anyone or not.)

"I'm ready." She said, climbing all the way up and closing the trapdoor behind her. Chat Noir gently grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, a hand wrapping around her waist to keep her steady.

"Then you'll want to hold on tight, Princess." He whispered with a smirk. Marinette instantly held onto him as he pulled out his staff-pole-baton thing and extended it.

She shrieked when he launched them through the air, unprepared to feel the cold wind stinging her cheeks as her stomach lurched and churned inside of her. The feeling felt weird, and she supposed that she had felt it once before, when she and her family had gone on a roller coaster.

And, just like when she rode that roller coaster, she laughed. Chat Noir landed on a roof and then quickly launched them into the air again, and she was utterly delighted at the feeling.

It wasn't long until they approached the Eiffel Tower. He shifted his hold a bit on her as she stared up at the majestic monument. To her surprise, they were beginning to scale the height of the Tower, and it was only then that she realized that he was right.

This was the most beautiful and inspiring spot in all of Paris.

And he had even prepped the spot up for their arrival.

A blanket was set down on the ground, along with a picnic basket. A few extra blankets were set around, and a small radio that he had set to play soft, calming music.

As he set her down on the platform, he moved in front of her and bowed, offering her his hand.

"May I?" He asked. Marinette giggled and nodded, placing her hand in his. He smiled, and she couldn't help but fall a little deeper in love as he guided her to the blanket, both of them sitting down. He pulled out the picnic basket and opened it up, showing pastries from the bakery.

Her parent's bakery.

"I'm not the best cook." He explained sheepishly. "But I know that you love your parent's food, and I do too, so I figured why not. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all." Marinette said, smiling and happily opening up one of the boxes. She took one of the macaroons in there and took a bite, offering it too him as he finished pouring some hot cocoa from a large thermos. He offered her a cup and they traded, humming in delight as they drank/ate.

Then they just chatted about normal things that had happened in their day, and other things that they usually chatted about. Marinette was utterly delighted that they were here, but she also couldn't help but be sad as she dashed away her own hopes of him liking her back.

Suddenly, Chat Noir stood up and smiled down at her charmingly, offering a hand to her. She looked up at him in confusion.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, and she felt her cheeks heat up. She was still in a daze when he pulled her up and close to him, pink and roses and sparkles surrounding him in her vision and making the beautiful scenery around them fade away. He grabbed her right with his left, placing his right just under her shoulder blade. Marinette instantly placed her left hand on his shoulder.

"Are you sure?" She asked, a bit late. Surely this had to have been a dream, right? "I'll probably step on your toes…" She protested weakly, staring into his emerald eyes as they seemed to bore into her own. The emerald color reflected the fire and candle light that had been surrounding them, almost making his stare smouldering as he looked at her as though she was the center of his world.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine, Marinette." He whispered honestly, the eye contact never once wavering. "Just follow my lead."

Contrary to her word, and much to her surprise, her feet never did step on his toes. They made some small talk, but mostly they just danced in silence with soft smiles on their faces.

He spun her around and dipped her, Marinette trying not to worry about if he could hear her heartbeat flutter in her chest as he pulled her back up.

"Marinette." He spoke, his voice betraying him as nervous and making her confused. Why was he nervous? "I've been meaning to tell you something for a while now."

"Oh."

That would explain why.

Her heart stuttered in her chest, almost fearful of the answer. "What is it?"

"I… well, I wanted to tell you that…" He dragged out the silence a bit as she stared up at him, completely focused on what he had to say. They had stopped dancing, his hands moving to cover her own as she waited for him to speak.

What would he say? What could he possibly want to tell her?

He opened his mouth, but words didn't come out and he closed it. He opened his mouth again, and she waited impatiently.

"I… I love you Marinette."

Marinette gasped, and she wasn't sure if she could breathe anymore as she stared into his serious and determined gaze.

He…

He loved her?

Like…

 _Loved-her_ loved her?!

"You don't have to answer, or like me back." he continued when she couldn't find words to express her joy. "It would be weird for your friends and family to not know who your with, and weird in general because I'm a Hafukyatto, and you probably like some guy in your school, but I just wanted you to know. You're my best and closest friend, Marinette, and it feels so weird to keep secrets from you."

"Chat…" She finally breathed, voice full of love and adoration.

"And I understand perfectly if you just want to be friends- just being by your side would be enough for me, and-"

"Kitty, don't you know?" She asked, lifting up his left hand to place in on her cheek. She then dropped his hand to cup his cheek, smiling up at his as joy and happiness swelled in her chest.

"Wh-What?" He asked.

Her poor Chaton- he really hadn't noticed her feelings.

Marinette let go of his other hand and trailed her fingers up his arm, eventually resting them on his shoulder. She stood up on her tiptoes, her eyes never leaving his as they searched his emerald orbs for any objections they might have for what she was about to do.

She had never thought that she would be the one to initiate her first kiss, but tonight was a night of surprises.

"I love you too."

They slowly leaned towards each other, eyes slowly closing as their lips met.

It only lasted a few seconds, but they were the best few seconds of her life.

They pulled away after, both red and smiling, elated that their feelings were returned.

Marinette knew that she would never regret this moment, or whatever else happened between her and Chat Noir after today.

Because they were really, truly smitten with each other.

And she wouldn't have it any other way.


	16. Chapter 16

Shandy: Reviews!

 **Rose Tiger: Thank you!**

 **kclinda: Thanks!**

Candy: Enjoy the story!

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"Hey, Marinette, Alya, Nino, can we talk to you?"

"Of course, Adrien." Marinette turned around and smiled at him the next day, but that smile almost faltered when she saw that Chloe was standing awkwardly beside him.

What was _she_ doing here?

They waited until everyone else, even Sabrina had left, so it was only the five of them. Adrien rubbed his hands together while Chloe observed her nails nonchalantly.

"Okay." He said. "Chloe came to me a few days ago and told me that she wanted to change. You know, become a better person." Marinette was 110% skeptical, but she nodded along with Alya and Nino anyway. "So, in order to help her, I figured that she should try to be friends with us, and we can all help her that way." He smiled innocently and very much like the sunshine child that he was. "As long as you guys are up to it, of course."

Marinette, Alya, and Nino all glanced at each other before Marinette decided to take initiative.

"I'd love to help Chloe become a better person." She finally spoke, and Chloe actually looked surprised.

"If Marinette's in, I'm in." Alya added.

"Sure, why not?" Nino asked with a shrug.

"Why?" Chloe asked harshly. Marinette was surprised to find suspicion swimming in the other's ocean blue eyes, and instantly any of her doubts flew out of her head.

Chloe never looked suspicious unless she was being truthful/protecting herself. She had seen the look only a few times before, and those were the times that Chloe was most helpful.

"I bullied all of you." She continued on. "Especially you, Marinette. Why on earth would you say yes?"

"Well, everyone deserves a chance, Chloe." Marinette said with a gentle, open smile. "And while we've never been able to see each other eye to eye, that doesn't mean that you shouldn't get one. Besides, I can tell that you're being sincere about this. Why you've suddenly decided to try to be friendly, I have no idea, but I'll help you whether you decide to tell us or not."

"Marinette took the words right out of my mouth." Nino admitted, placing a hand on Marinette's shoulder supportively.

"I knew that you'd want to change eventually." Alya said smugly, and Marinette rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, sure you did." She drawled out, and they all laughed. Well, Chloe didn't, but she did have a small smile on her lips.

Not a cruel one like she usually wore- a real one.

Marinette had a strong feeling that this was going to end well.

It didn't take long before they walked out of the classroom to go to lunch, and Chloe managed to walk beside Marinette. Marinette felt like Chloe wanted to talk to her, so she slowed down only slightly so that they were behind the others.

"Marinette…" Chloe sighed.

' _Here we go.'_ Marinette thought.

"I want to personally apologize to you." Chloe admitted, not looking at her. "I… especially for before seventh grade, and for what happened with… him."

"You don't have to apologize for his actions." Marinette pointed out, but Chloe shook her head.

"You don't understand, Marinette." She sighed. "If-If I had never bullied you, he would've never had the chance to save you. And I figured out about halfway through the year what he was planning, and I… I didn't do anything about it." Marinette stared at her and watched as Chloe clenched her fist.

"I was positive that redemption was impossible, that gaining friends with anyone would be impossible, but then Adrien showed up." A fond smile stretched upon Chloe's lips. "He's sweet, smart, kind, not to mention extremely attractive and famous. I wanted to get close to him, but every time I tried he only pushed me away. Then he told me that he would only be friends with me if I tried to be nicer to everyone."

"I tried, I really did, but it was so hard. I've been mean to you guys for so long, I couldn't just stop. Not without help. That's why I've decided to change. I owe it to you, and it's probably the only way that I can redeem myself." Chloe glanced at her before looking ahead again while Marinette digested the information.

At first, Marinette wasn't sure how she could possibly assure and support her in what she was doing. How would you start to become friends with your enemy?

Then, an idea hit her, and she smiled.

Chloe looked up at her again when she saw Marinette's outstretched hand.

"Let's start over." Marinette suggested. "Hello, I'm Marinette Dupain-Cheng, an aspiring designer and Class President." Chloe looked confused until what Marinette was doing seemed to click with her, and a small smile stretched on the blonde's lips as she accepted the hand shake.

"I'm Chloe Bourgeois, the daughter of the Mayor and I used to be the biggest bully of the school."

 _Used to be._

Marinette knew that she would be hearing those words a _lot_ in the nearby future.

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Marinette sighed in complete love-struck happiness.

Chat Noir would be coming over tonight.

Her _boyfriend._

The word still sent a thrill of happiness down her spine and a small squeal out of her lips, and she doubted that that word would ever lose it's touch.

What would their kids look like? She imagined all of the different combinations and giggled.

' _You're certainly happy tonight.'_ Tikki said. ' _Any specific reason?'_

' _Chat Noir's coming over.'_ Marinette sighed dreamily again, but then she sat up. ' _Oh, I'm sorry! Here I am spending time with him, and you still haven't met your other half yet, have you?'_

She could imagine Tikki shrug. ' _It's okay if I don't see him soon, I'll see him eventually after all. It would just be nice if I could make sure that he was doing okay.'_ A knock tapped on Marinette's skylight, and Tikki giggled. ' _I'll leave you two alone. Good night Marinette!'_

' _Good night, Tikki!'_ Marinette thought as she walked up and opened the trapdoor, letting her boyfriend in.

She was loving that word.

"Good evening, Chat." She said, smiling up at him. "And how's my precious kitty doing today?"

"Good evening, _purr_ incess." Chat Noir smirked, and he wrapped his arms around her as he kissed her forehead, and she giggled.

Could she possibly love him any more than she already did? Marinette wasn't sure.

They had agreed to go slow in their relationship, which Marinette was glad for. It helped assure her that he loved her for her- for her strengths and weaknesses, not for what she looked like.

They still cuddled and kissed cheeks, though.

"This cat's doing just fine now that I'm here with you. And you, Marinette?"

"Just the normal things." She shrugged. "Why don't we go on downstairs?"

"Sure thing, Princess." Chat Noir let her go, and she walked down to the main level of her bedroom. Almost instantly they were situated on her chaise with her in his lap, cuddling.

' _I love this part.'_ She thought with a happy dreamy sigh. ' _His presence is just so soothing and comforting and-'_

"Mari?" Chat Noir asked, interrupting her train of thought.

"Hmn?" She looked up at him, curious as to what he had to say.

"I have something important to tell you." He admitted. She instantly perked up. She could tell by looking into his eyes that he wasn't breaking up with her, so was he revealing his identity to her? Could they start to date publicly? Finally introduce him to all of her friends?

"Oh?"

"It's… about next month." He admitted, looking away from her. Marinette leaned in closer.

"What about it?"

"Well… it'll be spring. And, uh, Hafukyattos kinda go through, uh a strange phase."

"Go on." She probed supportively. Well, maybe not his identity, but she loved learning more about him all the same. She searched through her already acquired knowledge of Hafukyattos to try and see what he was talking about.

"Well…" He glanced at her and then looked away again. "We get more… cat-like." More cat-like?

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to be possessive." He stated bluntly. "And clingy. And needy. And I'll want to scent-mark you. And I'm gonna be jealous of anyone who comes close to you."

"What? Why?" She had never read anything about this. She _really_ wanted to know more.

"It's… kinda like a mating season of sorts." Marinette let his words sink in for not even a second before she felt her cheeks flame, and she noticed that his did too under the mask.

 _He has a mating season?!_

"But we don't have a need to do… _that_ , we just get really… uh… _paranoid_ and _aware_ of our mates and what their doing." He finished a bit awkwardly, and Marinette almost sighed in slight relief. Good, she wasn't ready for _anything_ like that yet. But something he said caught her attention.

"Mates?"

"A mate is someone who you are infatuated with." He defined, grabbing her and pulling her closer, nuzzling his nose in the side of her neck. "Your mine, _purr_ incess."

Marinette lifted her hands up to scratch his back and play with his hair, and she giggled when he purred in response.

She liked being called his.

"I don't see why that's bad." She said soothingly when she realized that he had put this whole conversation under a bad light.

"It is." He whined adorably. "I might not be able to control myself."

"Why wouldn't you be able to control yourself?" She couldn't help herself from asking.

"Because…" He bit his lip. "I know you, Marinette. In real life."

Marinette's heart stopped.

"I… I know you in real life?" She asked softly, amazed and hopeful.

' _He knows me? In real life? Have I met him before? Where did I meet him? When did I meet him? Who is he? Is he going to reveal? Oh, please let him reveal!'_

"Y-Yeah." Chat Noir shifted a bit, pulling her closer to him.

"This- This is wonderful, Chat!" She said happily, pulling him even closer and hugging him tightly, thoughts and ideas going millions of miles a minute. "We- We could go on actual dates! And tell everyone we're a thing! And you can become a teacher and I can become a fashion designer and work for Gabriel Agreste, and I can introduce you to my parents and I can meet yours, and-"

"I can't."

The words cut into her fantasy-induced rant, the idea that he _couldn't_ reveal having never occurred to her before. She had always assumed that it had always been his choice whether or not to reveal.

Chat Noir pulled her closer to him, almost as though he knew what she was thinking.

And maybe a little bit for self comfort too.

"... Chat?" Marinette asked hesitantly after a moment, biting her lip. She hadn't meant to push him…

"I-I don't know why I can't but- I can't." He finally spoke, and Marinette felt her heart break at the almost tortured tone of his voice. "I can't lose you, Mari. You're- you're my world! If- If you find out, father will pull me out of school. He won't let me out of the house again. And even if he said that I could I… oh, I don't know. One of my friends already found out, but father will find out eventually. He always does. I just- I can't."

"It's- It's okay." Marinette hugged him tighter, reprimanding herself for not thinking of this possibility sooner.

He had told her about his life at home before, so she really should've connected the dots sooner.

"You don't have to tell me. It'll be fine. Everything will work out, Chat." She soothed, hoping that she was assuring him that she would wait forever for them- that it wasn't necessary for him to reveal yet.

"I'm sorry." He muttered. "I know how badly you want to know, princess."

"I'll be fine." Her hands began to move across his back again, and he purred.

Did she ever mention that she loved his purr? It was so comforting, calming, and felt like there was something magical about the fact that he could do something like that.

"If… if you find out, because of next month…" He said worriedly, but Marinette wouldn't let him think another second about it.

"Don't worry about it." She soothed softly. "We'll take care of it if we get there, kitty."

"Thanks, Princess."


	17. Chapter 17

We don't have time for Shandy and Candy today.

I just need you guys to know that I'm going to be updating this story a LOT this week. Why?

Because I have a sequel.

That's right! There is a Sequel to 'A Cat of Many Things' and 'A Princess of Many Talents'! I'm calling it 'A Kitten of Many Triumphs', and I want to get it up as fast as possible!

Which also means that I want to finish this story ASAP.

Without further ado- onto the Reviews!

 **Demi Clayton (Guest): I will!**

 **kclinda: Oooot Thank you!**

ENJOY THE CHAPTER!

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She circled March 1st and March 31st after he left that night, so that she would remember what would be going on that month.

Marinette would like to say that she was completely respectful to Chat Noir's wishes to remain secret, but on that first day she couldn't help but look around and try to find him wherever she went.

She tried not to- really _really_ tried not to- but it was so hard now that she knew that they knew each other out of the mask.

And (contrary to most of the fandom's beliefs) there was more than one blonde haired, green eyed guy in her school.

Of course the first person she had investigated was Adrien, she wasn't blind. But before she could even seriously start observing his actions around her, she internally slapped herself.

Chat Noir wanted to keep his identity a secret, after all, and she would respect that.

So instead, she focused extra hard on helping her friends, writing notes, and trying to figure out just what was going on between Nathaniel and Chloe. Nathaniel kept on staring at her as though she had suddenly become a goddess, and Chloe seemed extremely tense throughout the whole day.

She had tried to talk to Nathaniel about it, but he wouldn't say anything, and Chloe kept her mouth shut.

Marinette wouldn't pry any further though.

It wasn't until she had arrived home and gotten up to her bedroom after dinner that she would find out what Chat Noir thought about the day.

Much to her irritation, before she could find out how his day was, he pounced on her and pinned her to her bed.

"Chat!" She hissed, and she could already imagine that stupidly attractive grin growing on his face. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, princess." He murmured through the immense purr, hugging her tighter. She huffed in annoyance before her hands began to comb themselves through his purr grew even more (if that was possible) and he relaxed, snuggling into Marinette.

"Today was torture, princess." He admitted, and Marinette pulled her thoughts away from how much she loved him to pay attention to what he was saying. "I'm surprised I managed to do everything that I needed to do."

"Oh?" Marinette asked, a bit worried.

"So many guys kept on walking up to talk to you today." He said, growling angrily. Marinette instantly it by rubbing his ears gently, his purr growing louder. She smirked to herself in pride.

"I don't know how I didn't act on it sooner, Mari." He breathed in deeply. "You smell _divine,_ Princess."

"Why, thank you." She said with a light giggle, blushing at the compliment. He merely placed his nose in the crook of her neck in reply, nuzzling it lightly.

They stayed like that for _far_ longer than they normally would. In fact, they had spent most of the time just sitting there, cuddling. Marinette glanced over at the clock and frowned a bit when she noticed that it was almost time for him to leave.

"It's 10:45." She informed him. Chat's ears twitched, showing his acknowledgement of her voice.

"I don't _wanna_ leave." He whined, holding onto her tighter. "I wanna stay and cuddle."

"Chat." She scolded softly, despite the fact that she found him acting like this absolutely adorable. "Even if you don't- I have school tomorrow."

"Can't I spend the night?" He asked, looking up at her and giving her _the_ eyes. The eyes that that sneaky, smug cat _knew_ she had a hard time being stern with.

"I don't know…" She drawled, trying to find a good excuse as to why he couldn't. "Maman has a habit of coming into my room to wake me up on school days because I tend to sleep past my alarms."

"I have an internal alarm clock, Princess. I can wake you up instead." Chat stubbornly snuggled into her, purring a bit louder. Marinette internally groaned. Why did he have to be so cute?! It wasn't fair!

Marinette tried to find another reason, but then Chat flipped their positions. Now he was resting on the bottom, with her on top and his arms wrapped snugly around her. His purr never once stopped, and now her head was resting on his chest and over his heart, where she could hear his heartbeat soothingly in his chest.

She relaxed against her will, her eyes growing heavy as sleep came over her.

Silly cat…

"Alright, kitty… just this… once…"

Chat Noir nuzzled his nose into her hair, no doubt celebrating his victory, and Marinette felt a soft smile spread on her face as she closed her eyes.

' _This…'_ She thought happily. ' _This is heaven.'_

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A week or so into the month, Marinette was getting better at trying not to find out who Chat Noir was. It was still hard, but she was managing.

He had been sleeping over every single night and then waking her up before leaving the next day, and Marinette definitely wasn't complaining.

Having finished using the restroom during lunch break, Marinette began to walk out and back to her friend group. Nino and Alya were gone, but Adrien and Chloe were still there. She walked over to talk to them, but stopped when she heard them talking.

"-for the same reason."

"What's in it for me?" Chloe asked, eyeing Adrien from the corner of her eye in a way that Marinette knew all too well. Marinette watched in interest as Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously? Chloe, this is your chance to get on Nathaniel's good side! Show him what you've shown me, you'll be friends in no time." He assured her, and Marinette's eyes grew wide in shock.

Chloe like Nathaniel in _that_ way?! With the way she had been acting all month, it was almost as though she hated him.

Then again, this _was_ Chloe.

"Easy for you to say." Chloe grumbled to him. "Fine. I'll go and talk to him about the project. But you better be right about becoming his friend at least." She huffed, walking away.

Marinette giggled at the classical Chloe flair that was just shone, rolling her eyes.

He jumped, placing a hand against his heart as he turned to look at her..

"M-Mari!" He stuttered, his cheeks a touch pink. "Y-You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean too." She sheepishly smiled up at him.

"It's ok, just- don't do that again."

"I'll try not to." Marinette turned away from Adrien to look at Chloe, who was now awkwardly talking to Nathaniel. She smiled at them, but she needed to make sure that her suspicions are right. "So… she actually likes him?"

"Yeah." Adrien nodded, looking at them as well before looking back at her.

"How long have you known?" Marinette asked curiously.

"Two days." He answered, looking at them again with a small smile on his face. "Despite the way she acts, Chloe's actually always worrying about everyone. Although, she voices it by insulting them… I've been trying to work on the insults with her, and I think I've made progress. She understands constructive criticism, but doesn't seem to be able to use it properly…"

"What about you?" Marinette couldn't help but ask.

"Hmn?" Adrien looked back at Marinette, and she knew that there was no going back now.

"Do you like anyone?" Adrien blinked, almost as though he didn't understand what she was asking. Then, much to Marinette's amazement, his whole face turned red.

"Wh-What? Like anyone? What w-would give you that Idea?" He laughed nervously, looking down at the ground. His hand reached up to rub the back of his neck adorably-.

' _No, bad Marinette. You're with Chat- you're boyfriend.'_

"I- This is my first year at school! I-I don't know wh-what you're talking about- I-I hardly know anyone."

"Adrien, it's perfectly natural to like someone like that." Marinette giggled, rocking on her heel as she looked up at him. She hoped to help him relax a bit, but if she got enough information then she could get Adrien together with who he liked, and then he wouldn't be available, and then she wouldn't think of him like that anymore! "So? Who's the lucky girl?"

"I, uh, mmmm…." He glanced up at her once before looking away. "She's…"

 _DING… DING… DING…_

"Oh, would you look at that!" He laughed awkwardly, not looking at Marinette. She frowned. "Bell rang, we should really get to class- don't want to be late so, goodbye Marinette _I'llseeyoulater!_ " With that he rushed towards the classroom, leaving Marinette behind.

' _Dang it.'_ She though, following the path Adrien took to class. ' _I pushed to hard. I should've gone about it a different way.'_

Marinette had to run to make it to class on time, her eyes instantly catching Adrien's form. He was resting his head on his desk, with the hood on his jacket pulled up and Nino sitting confused behind him. Alya had an amused look on her face, though. She walked toward his desk and breathed a sigh to calm herself. Then she knelt down beside Adrien.

"You know, if you didn't want to tell me who you liked, you could've just said so." She said in a way that she hoped was soothing and apologetic. She smiled and patted his arms lightly. "I'll help you in any way I can." Then she stood up and joined Alya behind the two boys.

"What was that about?" Alya asked.

"Adrien was talking to Chloe about the guy that she likes." Marinette admitted in a whisper. "He told her to go for it, and then he talked to me after Chloe had left, and I asked who he liked. He tried to deny it, but it's obvious that he likes someone, and- why do you look so dang amused?"

Alya let out a chuckle and waved her hand, a knowing look in her eyes. "It's nothing girl, just continue."

"...Okay…" Marinette finally spoke, eyeing Alya suspiciously. "Then the bell rang and he ran in here, and you know the rest."

"Hmn…" Alya hummed, tapping her chin as her eyes shined almost mischievously. Then the look on her face turned into a soft smile as she looked over at Nino and Adrien. Marinette looked at them as well, and then realized that Nino was telling Adrien how he and Alya had gotten together.

"-Alya's father is one of the Employees there. However, she said that she often helped her father clean out the cages when she came to visit, having seen all of the sights before. She insisted that Marinette and I go on without her, so we went to go and see the panther." Nino explained. Marinette leaned closer in interest, remembering that day well. When she looked into Alya's eyes, they were also glazed over- like she was re-living the moment again. A dreamy grin was stretched across her face.

"She was being pretty adorable, skipping along, drawing sketches of things that inspired her. When we stopped by the panther, I knew it was time to tell her. So, I opened my mouth, fully prepared to tell her about my feelings…"

"Then what?" Adrien asked. The bell rang in the background, and some students began to file into the room. The teacher hadn't arrived yet, though.

"And I told her 'Mari, how do you tell someone that you like them?'." Nino laughed, shaking his head. "And then Mari, being Mari, looked at me and asked me who it was. I admit, I panicked, so I said the first name that came to my mind- Alya." Adrien snickered at his friend, lifting up a hand to cover them.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want." Nino rolled his eyes. "And then Marinette began to fangirl about something she called DJWIFI and practically dragged my hand and pulled me over to Alya's father. She whispered something to him, and he answered whatever it was."

"Then she dragged me all the way to the cage that Alya was helping to clean in, and told me to go in there and start a conversation with her. Now, at this point, I couldn't go back on my words. And she just looked so excited and happy, that I went along with it." Nino sighed dreamily.

"Best decision of my life. Alya turned out to be _exactly_ who I was looking for. So when I asked her if she wanted to go and get some dinner after this, she asked me 'alone' and I said 'yes' and she totally fangirled." Nino chuckled.

"Apparently, she had been crushing on me for weeks, but knew that I was interested in Marinette, so she did her best to make me happy even at her own expense. That's when I knew that Alya was truly the best option for me."

"That's… really romantic." Adrien admitted. Marinette completely agreed.

"Yeah. We were on and off for a while though- she didn't think that I was serious about dating her." Nino laughed and shook his head. "Girls are weird sometimes, bro."

Alya instantly reacted, grabbing a book to lightly hit Nino's head. Adrien looked up at them as Marinette rolled her eyes. Alya glared teasingly at Nino, but Marinette could see her best friend's love for her boyfriend sinning in her eyes.

"No weirder than you guys are to us girls. Besides- you had that crazy crush on Mari- how was I supposed to know that you had actually fallen head-over-heels for me?" Alya leaned down and kissed Nino on the head, the other blushing in response. Marinette smothered a giggle- they were too cute together.

Idly, she wondered if that's what it would be like if she knew who Chat Noir was- if they were publicly dating.

"But the past is past- we've been dating for eight months now, and we ain't gonna stop." Alya continued as Marinette fell into dreamland.

"Y-Yeah."


	18. Chapter 18

Reviews!

 **Rose Tiger: Me Neither**

 **kclinda: I'm glad you do! :3**

Enjoy!

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Marinette hummed softly to herself as she brushed her hair. Another day, some more assignments, and mysteries that were still unsolved.

She pondered over these mysteries again, ignorant to her skylight quietly opening and closing.

Mystery One- Chat Noir's Identity.

Mystery Two- Adrien's crush.

Mystery Three- Where was Tikki's other half?

Mystery Four- What was she going to do for that one assignment in chemistry?

She was thinking about that last one most of all (science was her worst subject for a reason) when someone grabbed her hand. Marinette froze.

Who-

"May I, Princess?" A familiar voice asked quietly, breathing right next to her ear.

 _Chat Noir._

Of course it was him, it couldn't have been anyone else.

Marinette instantly relaxed, nodding her consent, and Chat Noir began to move the brush through her hair. Eventually, he lost the brush and replaced it with his hands to lightly massage her head and neck.

She sighed in approval, leaning into his touch.

"You're magical, Chat." She murmured. Chat Noir hummed his acknowledgement, allowing his hands fall from her hair as she stood up from her seat.

She didn't know from experience, but she was certain that not a lot of boyfriends would do that for their girlfriends. Her chaton deserved something in return.

So, she turned around and hugged him. He hugged her back, purring when she ran her fingers lazily up and down his back in a random, soothing pattern of sorts. Much to her surprise (pleasant surprise of course, this was Chat Noir we were talking about here) he started to rub his cheek in circles against her.

But then he froze.

"Something wrong, Chat?" Marinette asked worriedly, one of her hands moving up to comb through his hair. She was especially worried when even his purr had been placed on hold.

"S-Sorry." He muttered, blushing and leaning away. "I-I meant to ask before I scent marked you-"

Scent mark? Like an actual cat?

"-and I just started doing it so-"

"Silly chaton." Marinette giggled, booping him on the nose. His face of shock and surprise was absolutely _adorable_ , and she kissed his cheek. "I don't mind."

"Y-You sure? I mean…" Chat looked away from her almost insecurely, ears flattening.

"Chat…" Marinette used her hand to guide Chat Noir back to looking at her with his stunning emerald green eyes. She did her best to show him how much she loved him when he locked eyes with her, although she didn't know if she succeeded or not _._ She leaned closer to him, appreciating the close up view of his cat-like eyes.

"I _love_ you. I love you so much- you have no idea." He stared at her in complete shock and awe, and Marinette found that she couldn't stop herself as she leaned even closer and placed a chaste kiss on his lips.

Their second kiss.

"And because I love you." She whispered sincerely. "I don't mind if you ever feel the need to scent mark me. I'm your girlfriend, just as you are my boyfriend. And if you ever feel the need to be reassured of that fact…" She beamed up at him as he continued to stare down at her. "I don't mind."

A wide grin grew on his face before her pulled her into a hug. The purr that had been absent before returned with a vengeance, telling her that she had succeeded in her task.

"You're too good for me." He muttered, and she lifted up her hands to scratch his back once more.

"Aren't we such a good match- you're too good for me, too." Marinette giggled. He moved, placing her on his lap when he sat down on her chase behind him. He looked her straight in the eye, and Marinette was breathless at the unnamed look resting in their depths.

"May I?" He asked. She nodded absently, smiling what was probably a goofy lovesick smile. He moved his head over to one side of hers, rubbing his cheek against her. His purr increased, and she giggled whenever he shifted to do it somewhere else.

When he was satisfied with his work, they sat there in a comfortable silence, enjoying the comfort and peace that echoed around the room.

Eventually, Marinette had enough of the silence. They hadn't played a video game in a while, anyway.

"So…" She looked up at him, a challenge dancing across her face. "Ultimate Mecha Strike Three?"

"You're on, Princess." Chat Noir replied with a smirk.

Much to Chat Noir's dislike, she had won all five rounds that they played.

…

Again.

But she made sure to 'patch him up' from his losses with a few cuddle sessions.

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"There you go- have a good day!" Marinette called after the customer. She prepared to rind up the next one in line.

"Uh, hey, Marinette?" Marinette looked up and was surprised to see Nathaniel standing there. He looked nervous, more than he normally was anyway, and she smiled at him.

"Hello Nathaniel!" She greeted warmly. "Did you want to get anything?"

"N-No." He admitted, not meeting her gaze. "I, uh, I need some advice."

"Advice?" Marinette asked to be sure, and Nathaniel nodded. Marinette turned and called into the kitchen. "Maman! Is it okay if I take my break now?"

"Of course sweetie, I'll be out in a moment!" Her mother replied. When she saw Nathaniel's slightly dropped jaw, she explained.

"You're my friend, Nath. Not to mention that you almost never go to talk to anyone for advice. This has got to be important, and if it's important then I'm gonna place all of my attention in helping you the best way I can." She continued to smile at him when his expression didn't change, and she spoke again. "Here- why don't you go on upstairs and make yourself comfortable? It might be a little while."

Nathaniel managed to shut his jaw and nodded, shyly moving past Marinette and towards her house. Marinette dealt with two more customers before her mother was able to take over for her, and Marinette wasted no time going upstairs. Nathaniel was looking around, deep in thught when she walked in.

"What sort of advice did you need, Nathaniel?" She asked.

"Well, you see…" Nathaniel sighed and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, his face red. "You know how I was paired with Chloe for that project?" Marinette nodded and he continued. "Well, she's actually doing work and working with me. You know, like being nice and trying to help us get a good grade. And yesterday, I thought that she actually looked really cute when she was mad and annoyed. Actually, I've often been thinking about her that way lately, and I'm not sure anymore."

"As a fellow artist, you know that we have appreciation for beauty and drawing. But I've found myself drawing her and wanting to draw her. I can picture everything that I'd have to do to draw her face, but I don't know if that's just my artist rendering or-"

"If you have an actual, legitimate crush on her." Marinette finished, and Nathaniel nodded with a blush. "Trust me when I say that yes, you do like her like that. I actually think that it's really cute." Nathaniel's face turned redder if that was possible.

"You really think so?" Marinette nodded, and Nathaniel shifted a bit. "Do… do you think that she feels the same?"

"Well, she's making an effort to try to be your friend." Marinette pointed out. "If she doesn't like you in the way that you like her yet, then she at least wants to get to know you. Every little thing counts, right?"

"But-"

"Nath, trust me when I say that it is a possibility." Marinette sighed, smiling up at him supportively. "This _is_ Chloe we're talking about. If she didn't want to be next to you, she'd be obvious about it. You said so yourself- she actually wants to work on the project with you." A smile grew on Nathaniel's face and he nodded, pulling Marinette in for a swift hug.

"Thanks Mari. You're an amazing friend."

"It was no problem, Nathaniel." She looked up at him and then walked with him to the door, waving goodbye as he walked home with a little skip in his step.

Vaguely, she wondered what Chloe actually felt for the red-head, but then she shook it off. Adrien had said that she really did like him, and if he was confident in that then she would be too.

Marinette walked back into the house and towards the bakery to begin working again, looking forward to the future.


	19. Chapter 19

_**Hey, sorry for not updating.**_

 _ **Like... at all.**_

 _ **I, unfortunately, have been busy lately. I'm surrounded by homework, my job, life in general- but that doesn't mean I don't have time to write. Sadly, having time to write means no time to update, much less being able to respond to all of your amazing and inspiring reviews.**_

 _ **I figured that you guys would rather me upload a completed story all at once rather than have months to wait for the next chapter.**_

 _ **I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!**_

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Today was the day.

The 31st- so today was not only the last day of the mating-month-thing for Hafukyattos, today was also the day of the lights out dance.

Marinette hadn't been all that focused on it, despite Alya urging her to go.

"You could ask him to meet you there." She pointed out time and time again. "It'll be really dark, so if he still doesn't want you to go, it'll be hard to see who he is. Or you could even just go to the dance alone, you need to have some fun, Marinette!"

"I already told you, Alya." Marinette would sigh. "I don't want to go to the dance tonight, I promised to help Maman and Papa out. Besides, tonight's the night that he guaranteed a visit, we could just dance to our own music like we always do. And no, you're not allowed to come and see him."

"Dang-it."

Adrien was also a lot more peppy and optimistic than normal, which was almost a feat in itself seeing as he was happier than Rose. But it was also worrying, because no matter how much he smiled she could almost touch the intangible thing that was making him act this way, and it felt off.

Really off.

Almost as though he was in denial.

But he wouldn't talk to Nino about it, so Marinette could only watch, cross her fingers, hope that everything would be okay, and assure him that she'd be there for him.

' _That's the last one.'_ She thought, waving goodbye to the house as they closed the door. She always loved doing deliveries for her parents. ' _Time to go home and see Chat! I can't wait, Tikki!'_

' _Then hurry on back home!'_ Tikki giggled, ad Marinette obliged. She skipped home and hummed some happy tune as the sun set, leaving the sky in the light of the moon instead. It took a minute or so to get there, but before she could open up the door to the house part of the bakery she froze.

She didn't recognize those voices…

"We know that you have those earrings." A gruff voice spoke. "We finally tracked them down from your ancestors to you. Our employer wants to add them to the rest of the collection in America- another step towards completing the legend."

"We don't have them, though." Her mother's voice said through the door.

"Yes you do! You were given the Ladybug earrings-" Marinette's hand instantly reached up to the ones on her ears, eyes wide and fear striking through her body. "-on your thirteenth birthday, we have the visual proof. And you wouldn't have lost or sold such an heirloom."

Marinette's first reaction was to run in there and attack them, but she heard some footsteps approaching the door and she quietly snuck back down the stairs to hide in the bakery.

After all, she needed to figure out how she would do this.

But what could she do? If her father hadn't kicked them out yet and they hadn't called the cops, then guns must be involved.

Wait- call the police! Of course she could!

But when she pulled out her phone she groaned at her bad luck- the service was down until tomorrow, and the only wifi she could access down here was for the bakery, and the bakery wifi wasn't accessible during closed hours.

Maybe she could go outside and-

No, there was a black van across the street and parked in a parking space for one of the buildings. It was facing the bakery with an unblocked view, and Marinette didn't dare go outside in case they were helping out with the robbery.

So, she hid a bit further with the help of the displays and placed her hands over her head, hoping against hope that someone would come to help.

 _Knock knock_.

The knocks had her instantly look up, and she was both relieved and terrified when she saw the green cat-like eyes that she loved. Marinette looked around for any thugs that might be coming down before opening the door to let him in. Before he could try to speak she gave him a shushing motion.

"Princes?" He asked in a whisper. "What's going on?" Marinette shook her head, holding onto him. If he knew what was going on he'd go to try and stop it, and if he went to try and stop it then he might get hurt, and she didn't want him to be hurt.

Then again, her chaton could already tell that something was wrong. He'd go to investigate either way.

"Mari?" He inquired, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"They came in despite the fact that we were closed." She began in a whisper. "I was out an about doing a few deliveries when they came in- they want Maman's heirloom." Her hands reached up to touch the said heirloom, and she continued on. "They said so before I went all the way upstairs. After hearing that I ran down here to hide. I don't know why they want it, but they have guns." Her fear came back tenfold and she swallowed in order to speak again. "Th-They don't know that I have them- and Maman and Papa would never sell me out. They said that they- that they-" Tears escaped her eyes against her will.

"Don't worry Princess." He said in a soothing but determined voice.

"D-Don't leave me." Marinette was almost desperate as she held onto him tighter. "I-I don't want to lose you. You-You mean so much to me, Chat."

"I know." He kissed her forehead lovingly, and somehow she knew that everything would be okay. "I promise I'll come back down in one piece, princess. Is there an alternate way in?"

"Y-yeah." She nodded. "Th-The bathroom window should be open."

"Right." He moved to walk away, but she stopped him. He turned around to look at her, and Marinette didn't think twice before leaning in and kissing him on the lips.

They pulled apart, and she smiled up at him. She felt the need to explain why she kissed him, so she spoke the only thing that she could think of. "F-For good luck."

He smiled down at her lovingly, placing another kiss on her lips. She swore that she fell for him again right there, almost melting on the spot.

"Thanks, purrincess." He said sincerely. "I'll need all the luck I can get." Then he carefully walked back out the door and extended his staff. Marinette stood there for a moment in almost a dream-like state before she could hear footsteps and searching upstairs. She hid again.

' _Please be safe.'_ She begged in her thoughts.

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Although only a few minutes had past, Marinette felt like it had been an eternity before she heard the sounds of fighting upstairs. They came to a mostly stand-still before she could hear footsteps running down the stairs. Expecting Chat Noir, she stood up right as a man who was _not_ Chat ran in. She instantly sat back down on the floor, and considered herself lucky when he didn't see her at first.

But then she saw that he had a lighter in his hand.

Instantly she stood back up and ran over to him, hitting the lighter out of his hand. She heard someone shout 'Cataclysm' upstairs, and she could tell that the man had heard it too. He grabbed her and reached into his pocket while she struggled. She froze when she heard a click and some cold metal pressed firmly against the side of her head.

 _The gun!_

How could she have missed that?!

Chat Noir ran into view and froze at the scene, a beeping sound coming from him.

"Don't move." The man said, and Marinette tried to slow her beating heart. "One false move, and pretty-girl here gets it." Chat Noir growled, his tail swaying angrily behind him. He was contemplative, clearly trying to decide what to do in this situation.

It was silent.

 _Too silent._

Marinette hated how quiet it was- she could clearly hear her heart beating frantically as it willed to live. She was grateful for the distraction given when Chat Noir looked around with his eyes, but her thoughts soon returned to her life which was only moments away from coming to a close. The man moved both of them a step backwards, but Chat Noir didn't give up and hissed, taking a step forward. She could feel the man's hand holding the gun shake as he held onto her tighter.

' _Please save me, Chat.'_ She thought as a beeping sound echoed through the room.

"Just what are you?" The man suddenly asked. Marinette felt anger build and eat on her fear. How dare he say that to him!

But what was she supposed to do?! He was almost choking her with how tight his grip was!

"Part cat part boy? What a monster- a reject!"

Chat Noir didn't answer, his hiss dying down a little. Marinette yearned to stand by his side, but her slightest movement had him holding on tighter.

"Well?!" The man exclaimed. "Are you gonna answer me?"

Suddenly- Chat Noir's eyes lit up, and Marinette could almost see the cartoonish lightbulb over his head turn on. He smirked in a devilishly confident way that made her internally swoon.

"For your information, the name's Chat Noir." He said smoothly, not looking away from the man as he slowly placed his hand holding his staff behind him.

"Black cat? How fitting." The man laughed a maniacal laugh, and Marinette felt a shiver go down her side as another beep sounded through the room.

"You wanna know something interesting about black cats?" Chat Noir asked nonchalantly. Marinette wondered what he was up to, but the gun pressed itself a bit more firmly against her head. Her anger grew a bit more as her fear increased, but she still didn't dare do anything.

"What?" The man asked.

Chat smirked. Marinette swore that that smirk would make her melt one day, but today was clearly not that day.

"We're known for our bad luck."

His staff miraculously extended towards the ceiling, knocking into the sprinkler system in the ceiling of the bakery. She praised him for his cleverness as it set the whole chain of them off, raining water down on them.

Now that the floor was slippery, and the man successfully distracted, Chat Noir took a step back and ran forward. His staff hit the other man in the head while expertly avoiding hurting Marinette. Another beep sounded from Chat Noir as Marinette heard the gun fall onto the floor. She ducked out of the man's hold and rolled to the ground, grabbing the gun. Then she turned around with the gun in hand, smug at the turn of events.

Now that he was weaponless, he clearly didn't have a chance.

"Why you-" The man charged pathetically towards Chat, but Chat Noir judo-flipped him and pinned him down onto the floor. Marinette, already knowing that her boyfriend would be able to beat him, rushed over to the counter and grabbed some rope that they kept back there.

"Chat!" She threw the rope at him and he caught it effortlessly, using it to tie the man up. Whatever kept making noise beeped again for the fifth time since the fight had started, and Chat Noir turned to look at Marinette. She let the gun she had been holding fall onto the floor, and she was so relieved that they had both made it out of this unscathed. A smile grew on her lips, and she noticed that he had the same look on his face as well.

"I'm afraid this alley cat has to leave now, princess." He whispered solemnly, walking over to her and leaning down to kiss her hand. Marinette pouted slightly, but knew better than to argue. "Will I be able to see you tomorrow?"

Marinette opened her mouth to tell him that he should come back to hang out tonight, but then Chat Noir froze.

"Watch out!" He tackled her to the floor just as a bullet coming from outside the shop shot through the glass, ducking them behind the store counter. Marinette kept her eyes closed, bracing herself for the impact of the floor and any glass shards that could have flown close to her. She was sure that Chat Noir was doing the same, until she felt him shift- his _bare arms_ brushing against her own.

Marinette's eyes opened wide, and she couldn't stop the gasp that came out of her when she saw a familiar blonde-haired, green-eyed boy that went to school with her every day- only now his black cat ears on his head and black tail were visible.

 _Adrien._

 _All this time- it had been Adrien under the black mask._

 ** _Adrien Agreste was Chat Noir._**


	20. Chapter 20

She watched in utter awe, amazement, and shock as Adrien froze; his ears flattening on his head as realization struck him. Marinette opened her mouth in an attempt to get the fearful look out of his eyes, but found that she couldn't say anything but his name.

"A-Adrien…?" Marinette managed to whisper. She watched, still absorbing all of the information as Adrien/Chat Noir/Her Boyfriend flinched. His head slowly turned to look at her, his beautiful emerald green eyes full of shock and fear. When he didn't verbally respond, she tried again.

"Kitty?" Her words snapped Adrien out of his stupor, a red blush coating his face and neck.

"I-I… uh…" Adrien stood up suddenly- almost like a cat, and she wondered how she hadn't connected the dots earlier. "I-I havetogo!" Adrien picked up something from the ground and bolted, leaving Marinette behind to gather her thoughts.

Before she could even come close to trying to mentally sort through her thoughts and feelings about the whole thing, her parents rushed downstairs and police sirens drew near.

"Marinette!" Her mother exclaimed, and Marinette blankly accepted the hand that she offered her. Sabine pulled her daughter up and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. Tom wrapped his arms around both of them, and Marinette absorbed the comfort the hold presented to her.

"Maman, Papa-"

"We're just glad your safe." Her father interrupted, hugging them tighter. Marinette relaxed a bit more, but her thoughts remained on Chat Noir- Adrien.

Her boyfriend.

Who hadn't wanted his identity to be revealed yet.

Who had been _forced_ to reveal his identity- sacrificing the safety net between them to save her parents.

Hatred towards the thugs who did this grew, but not as much as her love for Chat-Adrien.

A tear fell down her face, but she knew that it was a happy one.

All this time, her heart had been torn between two boys- when they were really only one in the same.

"I-I'm glad you're safe too." Marinette admitted, knowing that her parents were probably really worried about her.

"Marinette, do you know who saved us?" Her father asked. Marinette bit her lip, uncertain how she should respond.

"No." She finally decided, choosing to keep his identity a secret. "I've never seen him before."

"If we ever meet him again, we'll have to tell him that we owe him our lives." Sabine continued her husband's thoughts, and Marinette smiled.

' _I'll be sure to tell him.'_ She thought. Then she froze.

' _But… does he even want to talk to me?'_

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She was given her answer the next day at school, when Adrien didn't show up. She had only sent him about five texts, deciding that he probably wanted space. Chloe looked grim as well for some reason, but the worrying thing was that he wouldn't answer _any_ of their texts or calls.

Chloe didn't look all that surprised by this, and Marinette couldn't help but wonder if she knew something. Marinette was never given the chance to answer though. Mme. Bustier had tasked her with giving Adrien his homework, and Marinette knew that he probably still needed space. So, she decided to write a letter.

She was proofreading it while Alya, Nino, and Chloe walked with her. They didn't seem aware that she was doing it, so she knew she had just about as much privacy as she could get.

' _Dear Adrien,_

 _Or, should I say, Chat Noir?_

 _I still don't know what happened last night. I mean, I do, but it's hard to wrap my head around the fact that I've been dating the cute new guy in my class without knowing it. I thought that you would be some random kid in my school, not one of my closest friends._

 _Now that I know that you're Adrien, I know that you also know about… John. I don't want it to end like that did. I'm willing to talk about it- but only when you're ready for it. I can understand if you don't- you were so adamant on keeping it a secret. If we were given the choice, I would be willing to wait for you to want to do it- on your own terms._

 _With love, your Princess, Marinette Dupain-Cheng.'_

Marinette bit her lip.

It sure sounded good. It told him that she understood, was going through the same thing that he was, that she still wanted to be with him, that she would wait for him. She placed the letter in the envelope that she had been doodling on all day as a way to get her nervous energy out. She tucked the open part in and placed it in between his homework sheets.

It wasn't much longer before they arrived at Adrien's house, and Nino rang the doorbell.

"What is it?" Nathalie asked.

"We have some assignments from school for Adrien." Alya explained.

"And we were wondering if we could talk to him." Nino butt in before anyone could stop him.

"Just a moment." Nathalie said, and silence came through. Marinette shifted awkwardly, and it took a few moments before she came back on. "Adrien says that he doesn't want to get you sick. Please drop his homework off in the mailbox." Marinette tried not to look disappointed as she walked over and placed the paper, and her letter, in the mailbox. It shut with a small clang.

"Oh, and Chloe, Adrien told me to tell you that 'the cat ran out of the bag before I could stop it'." Both Marinette and Chloe froze.

 _So she did know something._

The camera went back into the wall, and when Marinette looked at Chloe she was shocked. Marinette had never seen the blonde so serious in her entire life.

"We need to talk." Nino and Alya shared some looks of confusion, and Marinette swallowed nervously.

"U-Uh, sure, Chloe." She said, blue never leaving blue.

"Marinette, what-"

"Go on home, Alya." Marinette interrupted politely. "I'll explain later." Marinette could feel the brunette's inquisitive gaze remain on her head while Nino led his girlfriend away. Chloe stared for a moment longer before turning.

"Come- Juaq will take us to my house. You might want to tell your parents that you'll be late." Marinette instantly took out her phone at the same time that Chloe took out hers.

Marinette might've been a bit scared by Chloe's serious behavior, but she didn't care.

Chloe knew something, and Marinette was going to get some answers.

Her only wish was that she could've talked to Adrien about all of this.


	21. Chapter 21

"Sit." Chloe directed, gesturing to her bed. Marinette sat down on the edge, looking expectantly up at Chloe while the blonde folded her arms, observing Marinette. They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke.

"Tell me what happened." Marinette knew what Chloe was talking about, so she took a deep breath.

"I was finishing up deliveries for the bakery and coming home." She explained. "When I got home, my parents were being held hostage and interrogated for an heirloom. I couldn't contact the police, and I was too scared to go outside. Chat Noir- I mean, Adrien came up to me in suit and asked me what was going on, I told him as much as I could, and then he went up to save maman and papa. Then one of the men came down and pulled out a lighter- I guess to burn the building down. I knocked it out of his hand, but that let him hold me hostage. Cha- Adrien came down then and set off the sprinkler system to shock him so that I could escape. I got him some rope to tie the guy up, and he was about to leave. Then he pushed me to the ground- I guess someone shot the window- and when I opened my eyes he was… well, _him._ "

Chloe sighed a bit in acknowledgement, shaking her head and muttering something like 'this is such a mess'.

"To be completely honest, Adrikins should be telling you this- not me." She admitted, moving to sit next to Marinette on Chloe's bed. "However, that boy can't come clean completely on his own, and no one else knows as much as I do." Intrigued, Marinette leaned forward a bit.

"I knew that he was gonna be absent today." She admitted. "And trust me when I say that you're not the cause of it. You see… his mother died today, several years ago."

Oh.

 _Oh._

"But then Adrien told me that his identity was revealed- not on his own terms too. He's probably not going to be going to school for the next few days, because he's scared of your rejection."

"Rejection?" Marinette echoed in confusion. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, something about how he thought you wouldn't like the idea of Adrien Agreste being a Hafukyatto and dating you behind a mask. We both know that it's not true- you're too understanding to let something like that stop you." Chloe said it like it was an insult, but Marinette took it in stride. "Anyway, you probably want to know how I figured it out."

"Yeah." Marinette nodded.

"Some months ago, I had managed to hug Adrien tight enough to feel his tail." She admitted. "According to Adrien, it was the day after you two had made up from whatever had been bothering you about your relationship with him. I knew who he was the second I felt his tail because my mother was a hafukyatto. He said that he didn't want to be friends with me until I had proven that I could change. I tried, I really did- but it was nearly impossible to do it by myself. I figured it was about time I told him, so I confronted him about it a little over a month ago."

"He freaked out, of course- this is _Adrikins_ we're talking about, and he agreed on my terms as long as I helped him in return. Along the way, I learned a few things about him. It was a shock when I learned that we were cousins, but you're probably wondering about his suit." Marinette didn't respond to Chloe, too caught up in the statement of them being _cousins_ to really do anything.

"Adrikins got his special suit from a magical cat-creature. He said that he was the last of his kwami species, and that his name was Plagg. Plagg inhabits the silver ring on Adrien's finger- and when he transforms Plagg is the one taking care of the changes. You know, cat-like eyes, black mask, armor on ears and tail…" She shook her head. "All he wanted to eat was Camembert, but no matter."

"W-Wow…" Marinette breathed. "So, you're cousins?"

"Our mothers are sisters." Chloe explained, shifting a bit. Marinette wanted to comfort Chloe- it hadn't exactly been a secret when her mother had vanished off of the face of the Earth. Chloe continued before Marinette could even think of doing anything.

"With the information that I have now, I'm pretty sure that it'll take a while for Adrien to realize that the best thing to do is talk to you about this."

"Does-Does his father know?" Marinette asked. Chloe shrugged.

"Hard to say- as far as I'm concerned he has no idea that you and Adrien were ever dating in any form. Adrien told me that he did approve of you though. Something about how his father had specifically stated that he could only tell you that he was a hafykyatto." Chloe rolled her eyes, as though that was typical of Gabriel. It probably was, Marinette realized- Chloe knew him better than she did.

"So…" Marinette paused. "What do you think is gonna happen?"

"Just give him space." Chloe replied instantly. "I know that I need it when it comes to mother." Chloe stretched a bit, standing up and looking over her shoulder at Marinette.

"Do you want to get an actual manicure, or are you gonna stick with the ameture and pathetic one you got?" Marinette smiled a bit.

No matter what, Chlow would always be Chloe.

"New manicure, I guess."

"Good choice."


	22. Chapter 22

After the impromptu girls night, Marinette found herself walking home. Chloe had offered her driver to drive her home, but Marinette had insisted.

This had lead her to walk past Adrien's house. The sun had almost set by now, so she should hurry home.

But something inside of her told her that she had something to take care of.

She stared up at his mansion, thinking about the letter she had given him. Now that she thought about it, the letter was completely inadequate.

She walked over and pressed the doorbell. The camera came out, just like it had the last time.

"What do you want?" Nathalie's tired voice asked. She must be packing up for the day, ready to go home.

"I-I hate to be a bother, and I know that I can't see Adrien, but is it okay if I write him a letter for you to give him?" She asked, a bit hesitant. It was silent on the other end of the camera- Marinette could feel Nathalie's inquisitive gaze on her.

"Hurry up, I want some semblance of sleep tonight." Nathalie said, and the mailbox opened to reveal a single piece of paper, an envelope, and a pen. Marinette smiled thankfully and nodded, walking up to grab the items.

The first thing she wrote was on the envelope itself, so that he would know to read this second. Then she moved on to the paper to write the actual message.

' _Dear Adrien,_

 _Chloe pulled me off to the side earlier today (by the time you read this, it would be yesterday). She confessed everything- from her mother being a hafukyatto, to helping you out with dating me and all of last month, to telling me how you were able to get around.'_

' _She also told me that today was the day that your mother died.'_

' _Neither of us were sure if her telling me was okay with you or not, but Chloe said that she was going to do it anyway because 'that boy can't come clean completely on his own'- her words, not mine.'_

' _I'm terribly sorry for your loss, kitty. I would be there if I could, but Chloe insisted on letting you have your space. She says that she's the same when it comes to her own mother. Words can't describe how I feel for you, kitty. I think it's time I came clean myself.'_

' _The past few months, my heart has been torn between Adrien and Chat- two equally amazing and adorable boys that deserved the love and affection that I was willing to give. That's right- I loved both sides of you before I even knew that you were one in the same. It's kinda funny, now that I think of it.'_

' _I forgot to thank you yesterday. For saving me and Maman and Papa- even at the cost of your identity being revealed. Thank you for loving me and proving to me that I can be loved by other people (besides my family) for who I am, and not just because I looked good.'_

' _Thank you for never leaving me, even after that one fight that we had. I never really told you why that happened, did I? I had just figured out that I was in love with you, and I didn't want to be in love. Not after what had happened with John.'_

' _Then I talked to you and Nathaniel about it. Alya didn't know until later- when she caught me saying goodbye to you one night. You both helped me with my feelings_ _so_ _much.'_

' _I guess what I'm trying to do by writing this, is to tell you that I still love you. According to what I gathered from what Chloe told me, you were afraid of me hating you because of the way that things were done. I don't. If anything, I love you even more now that I know.'_

' _You don't have to until your ready, and you don't have to at all if you don't want to, but I'd love to continue dating you. I'd love to talk to you privately about all of this. You know where to find me if you're ready and want to.'_

' _I love you, Adrien. Chat Noir. My Kitty. I love you so much.'_

' _Love, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, your princess.'_

Marinette double and triple checked what she wrote. Once she was satisfied, she folded it up and placed it in the envelope. Then she tucked the open part in and set it back into the mailbox.

"Finished?" Nathalie asked.

"Yup." Marinette nodded as the mailbox closed. She smiled up at the camera. "I hope you have a good night, Madame."

"Good Night, Mlle. Dupain-Cheng." Nathalie sounded like she was smiling, but Marinette couldn't be sure. She instead walked away and back towards her own house, where she would be able to try and sleep.

' _Marinette!'_

' _Tikki!'_ Marinette smiled excitedly. ' _You won't believe what happened- Chat Noir is-'_

' _Adrien'_ Tikki giggled. ' _I know.'_

' _What?!'_ Marinette exclaimed in her mind, jaw dropping and eyes wide. ' _What do you mean, you know?!'_

' _Plagg told me everything.'_ Tikki explained. ' _I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to talk to you after this, Marinette- but I hope that you know that everything will be okay.'_

' _This is… goodbye?'_ Marinette asked.

' _For now.'_ Tikki acknowledged. ' _But don't worry- we'll be able to see each other again. '_

' _O-Okay.'_ Marinette began walking again, feeling the tears well up in her eyes.

' _Oh, don't be sad, Marinette.'_ Tikki soothed. ' _I'll always be watching over you- and who knows! Maybe Plagg and I will be reincarnated, and you'll be able to meet us in person!'_

Marinette couldn't stop the laugh that came from Tikki's optimistic answer.

' _That's the Marinette I know.'_ Tikki said proudly. ' _Please don't be sad about this, Marinette. I don't like seeing you sad.'_

' _I'll miss you.'_

' _I'll miss you too, Marinette.'_ When Tikki didn't say anything else, Marinette let the tear fall down her cheek. She wiped it off, smiling as she continued on home.

At least one of them was able to get their happy ending.


	23. Chapter 23

It was Saturday, and Marinette still hadn't seen Adrien yet.

To be honest, it felt weird to not have Tikki with her, or to not have late night chats on the balcony anymore. There was some sort of… normalcy in her life now, one that she had to get used to again.

Marinette, despite all her best efforts to _not_ get distracted, kept on finding herself looking at the store-front window. She was hoping to see a head of familiar blonde hair, but it looked like that wouldn't be the case.

Today was a slow day, seeing as they had been broken into only Wednesday. She had assured her mother that she could handle the store while she took a break. Actually, she was pretty sure that her mother had taken over her father's job, demanding for him to get some sleep.

She doubted he would, though. Tom had been on high alert for the men who wanted Marinette's earrings, which made it hard for him to sleep. In fact, he was probably making dinner right now. Marinette glanced at the time and saw that it was actually a few minutes past closing. She sighed, leaning away from the counter and walking into the kitchen.

Sure enough, her mother was there- cleaning up after today's work.

"Maman, I'm going to go and close the store now." She said.

"Alright sweetie." Sabine replied. Marinette walked back towards the front, and smiled sadly at their closed/open sign. She opened the door so that she could sweep the entrance properly. When she finished, she placed it against the wall and reached up to flip it over from 'open' to 'closed'.

' _Maybe tomorrow, then.'_ She thought, smiling sadly. Then she turned away to begin the clean up of the rest of the storefront-

"Marinette!"

Marinette instantly looked back towards the window hopefully. There, rushing towards the bakery, was a blonde boy with emerald green eyes and a bouquet of flowers. Marinette couldn't stop the smile growing on her face as she watched him approach.

' _Wait- the doors closed!'_ Marinette, as fast as she could, opened the door to the bakery. She quickly wrapped her arms tightly around him just as he stopped by the door, accidentally causing Adrien to stumble backwards a bit. Marinette didn't care- she was far too happy to be able to see him again.

"You came!"

"I-I'm sorry, Mari." Adrien said, arms wrapping around her to return the hug. "I… I was going through something."

"That's okay." Marinette smiled up at him- she was pretty sure that nothing could stop her from smiling now. "You're here now." Adrien nodded in agreement. Then he awkwardly paused and held the flowers out to her, a blush on his cheeks.

"F-For you, princess." He said. Marinette gasped, accepting the gift. She was sure her face was on fire now, but she smiled up at him anyway. Then she stood up on her tippy-toes to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you, kitty." She whispered into his ear. Marinette didn't see the blush on his cheeks, instead turning to happily smell the flowers. It had daisies in it- her favorite flower. She remembered how her parents had wanted to meet Adrien, and she smiled up at him shyly.

"Want to stay for dinner?" He smiled down at her, his eyes so full of love that Marinette swore she would melt into a puddle of love-sick goo.

"I'd love to, Marinette."

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Dinner went just as well as you'd expect. After calling his father, Adrien had been given the okay to have a sleepover with Marinette, and Nathalie had dropped his stuff off only moments before.

Now, they were laying down on her chaise- Adrien laying down on top of her and enjoying the head massage she gave him. He had taken his headband off and let his tail loose- in fact, it was curled around her leg lazily, the tip swinging from side to side.

"Hey, Adrien?" Marinette asked. Adrien hummed, lazily opening up one of his eyes to look at her.

"Yes?"

"What're we going to tell Alya?"

"What do you mean?" He asked, sitting up a bit.

"Well, Alya came up and caught us one night while you were leaving. I mentioned it in my letter- she knows that I'm dating Chat Noir." Adrien frowned, sitting up a bit more.

"I forgot about that." He admitted, scooting closer to her. His ears flicked a bit, and his tail was unraveled from her leg while he thought. Marinette couldn't stop herself from watching him- this all felt like a dream, to be honest.

"Father doesn't want anyone else knowing that I was a hafukyatto, so we could pretend that Chat Noir broke up with Marinette, and that I asked you out." He suggested. Marinette giggled and kissed his cheek.

"That would take a week at least. Think you can wait that long, chaton?" Marinette asked. A teasing look entered his eyes and he leaned down, close to her face.

"I'm sure that I can find a way to come over, _purr_ incess." He said, a smug grin on his lips. Marinette blushed and tapped her finger on his nose, causing him to go cross-eyed.

"My silly kitty." She cooed, lifting a hand up to scratch behind his ear. The smouldering look in his eyes vanished as he purred- eyes closing and leaning into the touch. Marinette giggled and guided him so that he was laying down on her again, his tail once more wrapping around her leg comfortably.

Marinette knew that, no matter what else happened, they would be able to get through it.


	24. Epilogue

_**Seven Years Later**_

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"What if they don't like me?" She suddenly asked her husband, fear gripping her heart.

"They'll love you." He consoled, a hand resting on her stomach.

"But-"

"Marinette." She froze at the stern tone of his voice, and his hand lifted her chin up so that she could meet his gaze. "I don't really know them either, but father decided that it was about time that we met them. We're in this together." He squeezed her hand comfortingly, and she smiled back at him.

"Thanks, Adrien." She said, leaning against him and resting her head on his shoulders. They were riding in a car from their hotel to meet his father at some random location. Well, not really random- they were having a 'family reunion' of sorts at a generally peaceful park in Japan. Adrien smiled and kissed Marinette on the top of her head, and her hand landed upon the one that was cradling her stomach.

She was showing, now in between the fifth and sixth month of pregnancy. When she had asked Gabriel and Adrien about it when she was first pregnant, they had told her not to worry. The hafukyattos of the family would be able to tell when they first saw her, whether from a distance or up close.

But what would they think? What if they thought that she wouldn't be a good mother? What if-

"Stop it." Adrien lightly flicked her nose, snapping her out of her thoughts. "You worry far too much- I can still go in and tell my father that you need a maternity leave."

"No!" Marinette said, a little too loudly. Adrien's bodyguard, who had become her own in a way after they had officially gotten together, glanced back at them in an amused way. She sat up and looked through Adrien's glasses and into his emerald green eyes.

He had gotten glasses shortly after they had married because he couldn't read anything, or really see anything, close to his face. This was actually surprisingly rare among Hafukyattos, whether their parents had glasses or not. She hadn't cared- she loved the look on him.

"Then stop. Worrying." Adrien leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss on her lips, which somehow managed to help her calm down.

It wasn't long until they got there. Adrien got out before her and held the door open, helping her out of the car. Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"I'm not fragile, you know." She lightly teased when he wrapped an arm around her protectively.

"Hmn, but our daughter is." He whispered, directing them over to the gazebo in the woods. There, party decorations had been set up, and a surprisingly small gathering was waiting there. Marinette felt her nerves triple as they walked closer. Gabriel was the first to see them alive, and he waved them over.

"I'm glad to see that you could make it." He admitted. Then he gestured to the two of them. "Rei, Yuki, Tim, this is my son Adrien and his wife Marinette. Adrien, Marinette, these are your uncles Rei and Tim, and your Aunt Yuki."

All three of them were older than them- perhaps around the same age as Gabriel. Yuki was a dirty-blonde with cat ears only a shade darker. Her light brown eyes paired with her tan skin made her look gorgeous despite her age. Rei, on the other hand, had black hair, but his ears had a few spots of white on them. Tim was human, his own brown hair tied back in a small ponytail.

Yuki was the first one to speak, her tail swishing excitedly as she rushed up and hugged Adrien.

"Ooooh, you've grown so big!" She exclaimed, taking a step back. "I remember when you where this small- and you have an expecting wife too!" Tears were in her eyes as she moved on to Marinette, who blushed in embarrassment. "A little girl, right? Oh, if only Annalise could see you two now- do you have any names picked out?"

"We were thinking Emma." Marinette admitted.

"Adorable!"

"Pleasure to officially meet you, kid." Rei said, walking over and hugging Adrien. He gave him a solid slap on the back. "Nice woman you got there, she better be as sweet as she smells."

"She is." Adrien laughed awkwardly, glancing at Marinette. Before he could do anything, Tim pulled Adrien into a nuggie. His uncle laughed all the while.

"You look just like your mother." He admitted, finally letting Adrien go so that the blonde could fix his glasses. They had somehow managed to stay on, even though his headband had fallen off. "And you have your grandmother's ears."

"Thanks… I guess…" He mumbled the last part. A few people their age walked over. "Oh, we should probably introduce you- Adrien, this is you cousin Amanda and her husband Noct."

"A pleasure to meet you." She said sweetly, holding out her hand for him to shake while her husband gently held a newborn babe. He could tell that they were all human, but he smiled and shook her hand anyway.

"The pleasure is mine."

"My litter isn't here." Yuki admitted sadly. "They went on a vacation to America and couldn't find a way to get here in time."

"Adam should be around here somewhere with Mirako- knowing them their probably going at it." Rei admitted. His gaze turned on Marinette. "You're about five to six months along, right?"

"Ah, yes." Marinette nodded, her hand resting upon her stomach.

"Have you considered moving here?" Yuki asked curiously.

"We decided that we'd stay in Paris." Adrien answered for his wife, walking over and placing a hand around her, pulling her close. Marinette blushed, but she was glad for the comfort. She had almost had a mini panic-attack right then and there! "Marinette's family is there, as well as all of our friends."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, just give us a call." Rei smiled and nodded at them. "We'll be sure to help you with whatever you want."

"Are you okay?" Yuki asked, worriedly leaning closer to Marinette. Marinette hadn't even realized that she had been crying, and she laughed.

"Yeah, just some pregnancy hormones." She brushed off, leaning against Adrien. Adrien smiled down at her happily, and she smiled up at him as well.

Then something weird happened, and she gasped.

 _What was that?_

"Marinette?" Adrien asked worriedly. The others looked a bit worried too, and she felt the weird movement again. Adrien's ear twitched, almost as though he had heard something. Marinette had an idea of what it was, and she swiftly grabbed his hand to place it on her stomach.

The baby kicked again, and Marinette watched her husband's facial features expectantly. His ears had reacted instantly, perking up to attention. By the time he felt the next, and sadly last, kick after that he had a wide grin on his face.

"Awww~!" Yuki cooed. "This is so excitingly adorable! Were those her first kicks?!"

"Yes." Marinette admitted, a bit breathless. She stared into Adrien's emerald green eyes when he looked up at her. "Yes they were."

It felt like an eternity had passed, spent only staring into the other's eyes before Adrien kissed her cheek.

"I can't wait to meet her." He whispered. Marinette giggled.

"Only a little more than three months left to go, Chaton." She said, booping his nose.

"Be sure to send us pictures, okay?" Yuki asked. "I wanna be able to see my grand-niece at least once."

"We will."

 _ **THE END**_


	25. Sequel Announced!

Hello, guys!

So, I just wanted to let you guys know the deal with the two stories 'A Cat of Many Things' and 'A Princess of Many Triumphs'.

First, they are brother and sister stories. They are the same storyline, but two different points of view.

That, however, does NOT mean that they are the same story. Give me some credit- I wouldn't bore you guys to death by only switching a couple words around. Please read both of them!

Now, most of you have probably left this notice at this point, but _**PLEASE DON'T THAT'S NOT THE ONLY THING I NEED TO TELL YOU GUYS!**_

'A Cat of Many Things' and 'A Princess of Many Talents' now have a little sister!

That's right- SEQUEL TIME! WOOT WOOT!

It's called 'A Kitten of Many Triumphs', and I REALLY suggest checking it out! Some Characters that didn't quite appear in the other two stories will be making an appearance, and we might learn some more about the guys who broke into Tom and Sabine's bakery.

And don't forget the romance! We'll definitely be seeing some Adrinette, and some other ships that I am paw-sitive you guys will love!

And if not, that's okay. I'll just be sitting here, silently reading your reviews and keeping my opinions to myself. :3

~ShandyCandy278


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